Our Background
Gaetano Errico was ordained a secular priest in Naples, Italy in 1815. He dedicated his priesthood to preaching of the abundant, merciful love present in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He sought to help the suffering and abandoned assuring them that they were loved by their heavenly Father. While on retreat, St. Alphonsus appeared to him in vision instructing him to begin a new religious congregation dedicated to the Sacred Hearts. The vision came to Fr. Errico each year while on retreat. St. Alphonsus told him that as a sign of the future foundation, he would build a church in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows. An image of her appeared as well and would be the sign under which he would succeed.
Through much trial, with determination and the support of the people of the small village of Secondigliano, the church did become a reality and was dedicated and blessed on December 9, 1830. Against all odds and adversity, Fr. Gaetano had indeed taken the first step to follow the directives of the visions. Now he knew that the new congregation was indeed a "work that God desired" and he would persevere to see it established.
On October 1, 1836, he opened the first Novitiate with seven novices. By 1846 their members had grown and several additional community houses had been established. Although the approval of the Rules for the new congregation had been decreed in 1838, the final decree of approval was given by Pope Pius IX in July of 1846. In March of 1858, Fr. Errico established a house in Rome which now serves as the Generalate of the congregation.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Institute embarked on missions around the world: Argentina (1912), Uruguay (1938), USA (1953), India (1982), Slovakia (1994), Germany, Canada, Cameroon and Great Britain (2020). The new millennium saw the opening of new religious communities in Nigeria welcoming an influx of many new candidates for the priesthood. A house of formation was also established in Indonesia, again attracting many promising vocations. In 2011, Colombia became a new opportunity to spread the charism of our Founder, St. Gaetano Errico.
"The Eternal Father, in bestowing His divine love on the hearts of all, chose before all others the most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Therefore, the first goal of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts is to toil to make known to all people the most ardent love of the Sacred Hearts for us, and to kindle this holy and divine love in the hearts of all humanity."
St. Gaetano Errico, introduction to the rules of the congregation
Proclaimed Blessed by Pope John Paul II in April 2002, a second miracle was confirmed within five years. On October 12, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI presided at the canonization of St. Gaetano Errico.
Our Background
The priests and brothers of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary live in community throughout the world. In each country where we serve, our members live in community, often as small as two members. Formation houses can be as large as twenty-five to forty members. Members of these communities live together sharing their aspirations, joys and trials, pooling their resources to provide for themselves and others. This is to radiate the spirit of the Apostles and the monastic living.
Personal commitment to one another in community life is strengthened by the sharing of a deep devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and a living out of the charism of the religious congregation as made known by the Founder St. Gaetano Errico. It is stated in the Directory and Constitution of our Institute:
"We are called to live the love of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in a spirit of reparation, expiation and sacrifice in order to become messengers of their love."
Each day that commitment is renewed through daily communal prayer each morning and evening, days of recollection and reflection, and weekly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Private prayer is a vital part of our day to help deepen our personal relationship with our Divine Savior.
This balance between communal and private prayer, living in a spirit of sincere fraternal charity and sharing, allows us to witness to and celebrate the love of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and be open to God's enabling grace in all our ministries and in the total selfless giving of self to each other.
