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• Introduction
• Our Title
• Our History
• Our Founder
• Where We Are
• The Chevalier Family

About Us - Our History

We were founded by a French priest, Fr. Jules Chevalier, who founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) in 1854, and ourselves in 1874.

For more comprehensive information about Jules Chevalier, click here.

In 1882, Fr. Chevalier appointed Marie Louise Hartzer in charge of the community. On 9th September, 1884, the first profession ceremony took place, including that of Marie Louise. The Congregation now had 5 professed members. Just two years later, in 1884, on October 17th, five sisters set out for the great mission of Oceania. Two had made their vows a few hours before. They had the great sum of 25 francs between them, (out of which had to be bought a pair of shoes for one person in Marsaille)! What faith!

For twenty-six years, until her death in 1908, Marie Louise wisely guided our infant Congregation.

(For more info on Marie Louise, click here)

Our founder encouraged us to embrace the risk of ‘mission without limits’. Our history is full of heroic stories of our sisters in far-flung places of the world. And here in Australia too, our story is extraordinary. We began in Botany in 1885. In 1886, we first went to Thursday Island. Then followed more foundations in NSW. In 1905, four sisters left for Mathina in Tasmania, followed shortly after by more foundations in Tassie, including the difficult west coast. In 1908 the first five Daughters left for Darwin.  In 1916, a foundation was made in Queensland, in 1929 in Victoria, in 1947 in South Australia.

At present, Sr. Mary Fyfe (far left in picture), who was born and grew up in Melbourne, is the leader of our International Congegration.