Sacred Heart Sisters in Namibia

Brief History of Sacred Heart Congregation
The Sacred Heart Sisters was founded in 1911 by Fr. Matthew Kadalikkattil who was responding to the fact that the religious orders for women pioneering in the Syrian Catholic Church in Kerala those days were the Carmelite Order (founded in 1866), Franciscan Clarlst Order (in 1884) and Sisters of Adoration of Blessed Sacrament founded by Bishop Mar Kurialacherry in 1910. They all took the apostolate of education. Ordinary young women with meagre education and poor financial resources found it difficult to join these Orders.

The Clarist sisters Sr. Louisa and Sr. Catherine took up the training and control of the community in its intial stage. Fr. Matthew vested ten of his team of sisters with the veil at a service held in the convent chapel, on June 15, 1917, the feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After a year the permission was granted for the canonical vestition of the ten aspirants who had received the veil. This ceremony took place on Saturday 21, 1919. From among them, Sr. Euphrasia and Sr. Gertude professed on Friday June 11, 1920, and were appointed as the mother Superior and Novice Mistress respectively. The remaining eight professed nearly two years later. Gradually more aspirants came up from different parishes.

On May 23, 1935, Pope Pius XI during an audience granted to Bishop Mar James Kalacherry, authorised him to give the final ecclesiastical approval to the Congregation. This providential event was considered by all as a miraculous arrangement of divine providence on the day of death of its founder Father. Rules revised by the sisters according to the direction already given by the Bishop, were formally approved by the Bishop on July 25, 1936.

During his last illness, Fr. Matthew had said, "The Congregation will flourish after my death." This prophecy of the founder began to be realised steadily ever since. The Congregation has now over 3000 professed sisters who live and work in about 390 houses spread out in the different dioceses of India and abroad. These now come under ten provinces. The sisters are engaged in all areas of apostolates rooted in the charism of their beloved Father Founder.