History of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus United States Province

The Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was  founded by Mother Clelia Merloni in Viareggio, Italy in 1894. Drawn by her deep love for the Sacred Heart, Clelia's vision was to gather together women totally dedicated to the love and service of the Sacred Heart; women whose hearts would set fire to the Church and to the world with their  zeal for the glory of God. That vision was caught by others, and soon many young women joined the newly founded Congregation.

Despite a period of suffering and financial difficulties, the Congregation continued to expand, and only six years after its founding, Mother Clelia sent her first group of missionary sisters to Brazil. Two years later, in 1902, six Apostle missionaries arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, to minister to the Italian immigrants who had abandoned their homeland in search of a livelihood in the United States. Soon afterwards, additional sisters set sail from Italy to join the original group. The work of the missionaries quickly grew and flourished.

Within the first two years of their arrival in Boston, nine young women sought entrance into the community. From these small beginnings, the Congregation took root in the United States. In 1906, the sisters established a mission in New Haven, Connecticut, which later became the site of their Provincial House. In 1953, the Provincial House was relocated to its current site at Mount Sacred Heart in Hamden, Connecticut. The Congregation continued to branch out throughout the United States and today the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of the United States Province serve the  people of God in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Missouri, as well as Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Through their ministries of education, pastoral, legal and social assistance, health care, youth, the elderly and the mentally challenged, and through countless other works of charity, the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus aim to fulfill Mother Clelia's fervent desire that the Heart of Jesus become known and loved by all people.