Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
A Catholic religious congregation of priests, brothers, sisters, and lay members founded in France during the aftermath of the French Revolution.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, commonly abbreviated SS.CC. and often called the Picpus Congregation, is a Catholic clerical religious institute of pontifical right comprising religious women, priests, brothers, and an associated lay branch. Its name expresses a spirituality centered on devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Eucharistic worship, missionary service, education, parish ministry, and solidarity with disadvantaged communities. The nickname Picpus comes from the congregation's early Parisian home on Rue de Picpus. The institute emerged in France during the religious persecution and institutional disruption of the French Revolution. Pierre Coudrin, a priest who had been secretly ordained in 1792, spent months concealed in an attic to avoid authorities pursuing clergy who rejected the revolutionary Civil Constitution of the Clergy. During that period he experienced a vision that he interpreted as a call to establish a new community of priests, brothers, and sisters. In 1794 he met Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie, who had herself been imprisoned for assisting a concealed priest and who described a religious vocation formed during her imprisonment. Their shared convictions led to the establishment of the congregation on Christmas Eve 1800, under conditions in which Catholic religious activity remained politically dangerous. The congregation received formal papal approval in 1817 as a unified institute with male and female branches and a lay component. Its early work combined religious formation with practical service. Members established schools, seminaries, parish missions, and houses dedicated to the education of children, including those from poor families. The Holy See entrusted the congregation in 1825 with evangelization in the Sandwich Islands, launching a Pacific mission that became one of its defining historical activities. Missionaries traveled to Hawaii and other Pacific islands, where they preached, organized Catholic communities, built churches, and helped establish durable ecclesiastical institutions. The congregation's Pacific work had a particularly significant impact in Hawaii. Its members contributed to the formation of what became the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu and established the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, described as the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States. Six early bishops of Honolulu belonged to the congregation. The institute also founded or supported schools and parishes including Sacred Hearts Academy, St. Patrick's School, Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo, and Maria Lanakila Catholic Church on Maui. Expansion continued across Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific. Brothers established communities in Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, England, and the United States. Sisters developed educational and missionary foundations in Chile, Peru, Hawaii, Ecuador, Spain, Belgium, England, the Netherlands, and the United States. In North America, members ministered among the Passamaquoddy people in Maine, established a United States province in the nineteenth century, and founded Santa Inés Mission among the Chumash in California. The congregation later maintained a presence in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The institute is also associated with several notable missionaries and religious figures, including Saint Damien of Molokai, who served people affected by leprosy in Hawaii and was canonized in 2009. Other members have been recognized as saints, blesseds, or servants of God, including martyrs of the Paris Commune and Spanish Civil War, Eustáquio van Lieshout, and the founders Coudrin and Aymer de la Chevalerie. Today the congregation remains an international Catholic religious community whose work combines worship, pastoral ministry, education, missionary activity, and service to local communities.
History
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was born from the clandestine Catholic life of revolutionary France. During the French Revolution, priests who refused to accept the Civil Constitution of the Clergy were exposed to surveillance, imprisonment, exile, and execution. Pierre Coudrin was secretly ordained in March 1792 and later hid for approximately six months in an attic at the Château d'Usseau. He understood a religious vision experienced during this period as a summons to create a community of priests, brothers, and sisters devoted to the Sacred Hearts. In 1794, Coudrin met Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie, who had been imprisoned for hiding a priest. She described a religious calling that had developed during her imprisonment. Their collaboration developed into a new institute founded on Christmas Eve 1800. The congregation's early members worked discreetly while persecution continued, and later organized their activities around prayer, Eucharistic devotion, education, parish missions, and the training of clergy. Papal recognition came in 1817, when the institute was formally approved as a single congregation containing male and female branches and a lay association. The founders' communities expanded through France and then into other countries. Schools for children, seminaries, and parish missions formed a major part of the congregation's early institutional footprint. At the death of Coudrin in 1837, the congregation had grown to 276 priests and brothers and 1,125 sisters. A major turning point came in 1825, when the Holy See entrusted the congregation with the evangelization of the Sandwich Islands. The first missionaries departed France in 1826. Their Pacific work involved preaching, catechesis, church construction, pastoral administration, and the development of Catholic communities. Hawaii became the most prominent center of this mission. The congregation helped establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, built the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, and supplied six of Hawaii's first bishops between 1833 and 1940. It also founded schools and parishes, including Sacred Hearts Academy, St. Patrick's School, Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo, and Maria Lanakila Catholic Church on Maui. The congregation simultaneously developed missions in North and South America. In 1833, Edmundo Demellier and Petithomme began ministry among the Passamaquoddy people in Maine. A United States province was created in 1846, and Santa Inés Mission among the Chumash in California was established in 1850. Sisters focused strongly on education and founded communities in Chile, Peru, Hawaii, Ecuador, and several European countries. Brothers created houses in Belgium in 1840, Spain in 1880, the Netherlands in 1892, England in 1894, and the United States in 1905. The sisters established or expanded foundations in Latin America and Europe during the nineteenth century, while the congregation later became present in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The institute's historical identity is closely connected with missionary saints and candidates for sainthood. Damien of Molokai became its best-known member through his service to people with Hansen's disease in Hawaii and was canonized in 2009. Other members have been beatified for missionary work or martyrdom, while the founders Pierre Coudrin and Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie are recognized by the Church as servants of God. The congregation continues as an international Catholic institute engaged in religious formation, pastoral service, education, missions, and community support.
- 2023
Paris Commune martyrs beatified
[1]Ladislas Radigue and three companions were beatified.
- 2009
Damien of Molokai canonized
[1]Damien de Veuster was declared a saint after his missionary service in Hawaii.
- 1846
First United States province established
[1]The congregation formalized its institutional presence in the United States.
- 1837
Growth recorded at the death of Coudrin
[1]The congregation had 276 priests and brothers and 1,125 sisters when its founder died.
- 1826
First Pacific missionary group departs
[1]The congregation sent its first missionary group from France to the Pacific.
- 1825
Pacific evangelization entrusted to the congregation
[1]The Holy See assigned the congregation responsibility for evangelization in the Sandwich Islands.
- 1817
Papal approval
[1]The congregation received formal approval as an institute with male, female, and lay branches.
- 1800
Congregation established
[1]Coudrin and Aymer de la Chevalerie formally founded the congregation on Christmas Eve.
- 1794
Coudrin meets Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie
[1]Their shared vocation and experience of persecution became the foundation for the future congregation.
- 1792
Pierre Coudrin is secretly ordained
[1]Coudrin entered the clandestine Catholic ministry during the revolutionary persecution of non-juring clergy.
Products and positioning
An international Catholic missionary and educational congregation organized around Sacred Hearts spirituality, community life, pastoral service, and outreach to underserved populations.
Religious services · 1800
Catholic pastoral ministry
The congregation provides parish ministry, preaching, sacramental service, spiritual direction, and pastoral administration through its priests, brothers, sisters, and associated lay members.
Education · 1800
Catholic education
Education has been a central activity since the congregation's beginnings, including schools for children, girls' education, seminaries, religious instruction, and the operation or support of Catholic educational institutions in several countries.
Missions · 1825
Missionary service
The congregation conducts evangelization and community ministry in international mission territories. Its historic Pacific work included church building, catechesis, parish organization, and service to isolated or disadvantaged communities.
Brand decisions
1825
Acceptance of the Pacific missionStrategyBackground
The Holy See sought an institute to evangelize the Sandwich Islands and entrusted the task to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts.
Action taken
The congregation organized and dispatched missionaries to the Pacific, beginning a long-term program of evangelization and institution building.
Aftermath
The mission became a defining part of the congregation's identity and contributed to the development of Catholic structures in Hawaii and other Pacific communities.
Recent events
- 2023
Beatification of the Paris Commune martyrs[1]
Other
Ladislas Radigue and three companions, members of the congregation who died during the Paris Commune, were beatified.
- 2013
Beatification of Spanish Civil War martyrs associated with the congregation[1]
Other
Teófilo Fernández de Legaria Goñi and four companions were beatified in recognition of their martyrdom during the Spanish Civil War.
- 2009
Canonization of Damien of Molokai[1]
Other
Damien de Veuster, a member of the Congregation known for his ministry among people with leprosy in Hawaii, was canonized by the Catholic Church.
Sources2 sources
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