Sœurs Servantes du Saint-Coeur de Marie – Archives Department

BRIEF HISTORY
The congregation of the Sœurs Servantes du Saint-Cœur de Marie was founded in Paris (France), in 1860. François Jean-Baptiste Delaplace, of the C.S.Sp. and then director of the Œuvre de la Sainte-Famille, was struck by the pitiful state of families struggling with unemployment and hardships of all sorts. The lack of religious knowledge of the infants of this impoverished class so worried Delaplace that he conceived a project to ensure them the benefit of a Christian education. To realize his goal, he called on the help of Jeanne-Marie-Moisan in whom he recognized remarkable faith and devotion.
Initially conceived as a charitable organization, this project became a religious order. It is recognized by the church as an international feminine religious institute by papal authority.

The apostolates identified by the congregation include education in multiples forms, health services, social services, and pastoral work.

Through their apostolic service in the Church, the Servantes du Saint-Cœur de Marie continue still today, on several continents, the humble work started by their founders.
 

These are the countries and years of the congregation’s activity: France, foundation in 1860- ; Belguim, 1883-1919; United States, 1889- ; Canada, 1892- ; Cuba, 1950 - ; Cameroon, 1953- ; Argentina, 1963- ; Chile, 1997-2015; Peru, 2015 - ; Congo (DRC), 2015 -.

The Les Sœurs Servantes du Saint-Cœur de Marie first arrived on Canadian soil at Saint-Éphrem, Beauce, at the behest of Father Léon Maxime Morisset.

DESCRIPTION OF FONDS AND COLLECTIONS
The archives department conserves documents from the founders that show their charisma and spirituality and the beginnings of the foundation in France.  It oversees the Generalate Fond, transferred officially to Canada in 1954, as well as the fonds of the Canadian religious provinces since 1892, and those of the missionary districts since 1950.

The documents from these fonds bear witness to the congregation’s administration, its management of human resources, finances and materials, its civil and religious relations, events and important celebrations, the training of the first members, religious and communal life, and to its affiliation with the congregation and laity consecrated SSCM.
 

The archives also contain fonds from educational institutions, social charities, and collaborations with the healthcare sector. 

Time span covered in the archives: 1860-today.
Technical specifications and maps: approx. 135
Iconographic documents: 23,739
Text documents: 93.54 m.l.
Hours of audio recordings: approx. 75
Hours of video recordings: approx. 80
Number of fonds: 197
 

MANDATE AND MISSION
The archive’s mission is to conserve documents of historical importance to the Congregation, that bear witness to the life of its members and their different spheres of action.

The department is also mandated to process the documents, ensure their valorization, and to make them accessible for research while respecting confidentiality.