Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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The Institute of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Roman Catholic religious order that was founded in Madrid in 1877 by two sisters, Pilar and Raphaela Maria Porras y Ayllon. Rafaela Maria became its first Superior General in 1877 and in the same year, the congregation received papal approval. The focus of the order is on "children's education and helping at retreats", reflected in its 140 convents in 23 countries, and the number of schools that it has founded.

1 Saint Rafaela Maria Porras y Allyon
2 Communities of the Sacred Heart
3 Schools Founded by the Order
4 External links

[edit] Saint Rafaela Maria Porras y Allyon

Rafaela Maria Porras y Allyon was born in Pedro Abad, Spain on March 1st,1850. She and her sister,Pilar, joined a religious order, the Noviate of the Society of Marie Reparatrix, but were denied from taking their vows by the actions of the local bishop which forced them to move to Madrid. In 1877, the sisters took their vows and founded the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

After serving as the first Superior General, Rafaela resigned in 1893, spending the next 32 years in prayer and contemplation at the congregation's house in Rome. She died in Rome, on the 25th of January, 1925.

Rafaela Maria Porras y Ayllon was beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1952, and canonized in 1977 by Pope Paul VI.

[edit] Communities of the Sacred Heart

The Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are one of many religious communities that share "a historical connection to the spirituality of the Sacred Heart". Common elements among the Sacred Heart religious communities are identified as: