Jules Chevalier

Jules Chevalier (* March 15, 1824 in Richelieu, France, † October 21, 1907 in Issoudun, France) was a French priest and author. Jules Chevalier founded in 1854 the Order of the Sacred Heart Missionaries.

Biography

Jules Chevalier came from a humble background. Because of education through his mother - she was very religious - he took an early interest for the Church and was an altar boy. After he enter his wish in a seminary for financial reasons could not realize that he was apprenticed to the shoemaker. But he stuck to his desire and at the same time learned Latin. Thanks to a sponsor he could with 17 still occur in the small seminar of the Sulpician in St Gaultier. As of 1846, he then studied theology in Bourges and received priestly ordination in 1851. In 1854 he was assistant priest in Issoudun, which was set very strongly anticlerical. There he founded on 8 December of the same year, deeply moved by the needs of his time, together with the second vicar Emile Maugenest the community of Sacred Heart Missionaries ( " Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ", original: " Mission Aires du Sacré -Coeur de Jésus ", abbreviated: MSC - Latin: missionarii sacratissimi cordis ). In the heart of Jesus he saw his calling and believed it could emerge a new world. He was able to finance the renovation of an old building into a monastery and church through a generous donation on that day for this purpose.

Development of the Order

Congregation and statutes were first in 1869 and finally on June 24, 1891 confirmed papal. The fields of research include proselytizing, the line of retreat and apostolic schools in preparation institutions for missionary vocations and maintenance of welfare institutions. 1959 was one of the Order of 3000 members in 12 provinces, including the German with the seat in the then still independent Hiltrup in Münster ( Westphalia). To promote devotion to the Sacred Heart and of the cult of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and for missionary work Chevalier donated to Marie -Louise Hartzer 1874-82, the Congregation of the " Filles de Notre -Dame du Sacré -Coeur " ( "Daughters of Our Lady women of the Sacred Heart "), which in 1928 by Pope Pius XI. was confirmed. Chevalier was born in 1872 appointed archpriest. Through his work to Issoudun became the largest Marian shrine in central France.