Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
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| Abbreviation | A.C.I. or A.C.J. |
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| Type | Roman Catholic religious order |
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Sister Inmaculada Fukasawa, A.C.J. |
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Key people
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Saint Raphaela Maria Porras y Ayllon, A.C.J., foundress |
| Website | Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus |
Sister Inmaculada Fukasawa, A.C.J.
The Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Latin: Ancillae Cordis Iesu; Spanish: Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús) is a Roman Catholic religious institute that was founded in Madrid, Spain, in 1877 by two sisters, María Dolores 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 institute is on "children's education and helping at retreats", reflected in its 130 convents in 27 countries, and the number of schools that it has founded.
Members of the institute carry the letters A.C.I. or A.C.J., after their names.
Rafaela Maria Porras was born in Pedro Abad, Spain, on March 1, 1850. She was the youngest of seven children of well-to-do, pious parents, Ildefonso and Rafaela (Ayllón y Castillo) Porras. She and her sister, María Dolores, entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix, where Dolores was given the name of Sister María del Pilar. Church authorities and the religious community mission had some disagreements about their future role as educators in Córdoba, and the sisters decided to leave the diocese. Raphaela, her sister and some of the other novices remained there to form a new community, and subsequently went to Madrid. In 1877, under the authority of the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, the sisters took their vows and founded the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In 1886, receiving a Decree of Praise from the Vatican, the sisters became the Institute of Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with Raphaela at its head. Following the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the community spread quickly throughout Spain.
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