Dear Family, Friends and Benefactors,
With joy I greet you at this most significant moment! Little did Sister Ida know when she professed private vows in 1940 that, 80 years later, there would be a whole Community of consecrated women devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, living the charism given to her, proclaiming the Gospel in the United States, Taiwan and Hungary. We are grateful for you and the thousands of people who have been part of our life. Your love, deep faith and courage touch our hearts daily. We thank you for your many acts of kindness and generosity that inspire and sustain us to this day.
In this time of the pandemic, hear Sister Ida say to you: “We do not need to fear the future, as we know the One who holds the future.” Our hope remains in our God who is “the same yesterday, today and forever”. Let us continue to pray for one another, knowing that God’s revelation of Himself as a God of love and mercy is our sure hope in all circumstances of life. You are forever in our hearts and prayers, especially as we celebrate 80 Years of Grateful Love.
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Sister Mary Tomasella, SDSH
Superior General
In 1996, already ill with cancer, Sister Ida Peterfy, foundress, led her Sisters on a pilgrimage to Hungary, retracing and explaining the founding events and places of significance in the life of the Community; a truly extraordinary event in the life of the Society Devoted to the Sacred Heart. A highlight of this pilgrimage was (pictured above) Sister Ida kneeling again in the Franciscan Church of Kassa (Kosice, Slovakia) where she first professed her vows, privately on her 18th birthday, October 7, 1940, the official day that marks the founding of our Society. After Sister Ida renewed her vows, each of the Sacred Heart Sisters present renewed their vows as well.
