The Congregation of the Apostles of the Saced Heart of Jesus (ASCJ) was founded by Mother Clelia Merloni on May 30, 1894 in Viareggio in the Province of Lucca, Italy. In 1900, it was canonically established by Bishop John Baptist Scalabrini in Piacenza and received definitive approval four months after the death of the Foundress.
Inspired by the Heart of Jesus, our Foundress wanted the Sisters belonging to this Institute to be called Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Following the example of the first Apostles, its members strive to radically follow Christ, who came into the world to reveal the Father’s merciful love and to make reparation for the sins of humanity and lead them back to Him.
Between 1900 and 1902 the Apostles, guided by faith, fervor and zeal, arrived in Brazil and the United States respectively. The arrival of the Apostles ushered in a period of significant expansion in the Congregation, especially in the areas of Education and Missionary activity, helping to establish the charism in the world.
In response to the needs of the Church and the signs of the times, the charism of Mother Clelia is present in 16 countries: Italy, Brazil, United States, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile, Albania, Mozambique, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Benin, Haiti, Ireland, Ghana and Portugal.
The daughters of Mother Clelia are called to be in the world and for the world the presence of the tender and merciful Heart of Jesus. The Apostles are called to love, welcome and place themselves at the service of the suffering. The mission and ministry of the Apostles is carried out in the areas of education, healthcare, pastoral service, diocesan service, in social services and in missionary activity.
The motto of the Institute: "Caritas Christi urget nos" (2 Cor 5:14) - is the motto of our charism and divides the seal into two parts.
The upper part of the motto is rich in symbolism: the pierced heart, the bright rays in yellow, the cross with the flames of fire symbolizing the light of the risen Christ who has conquered death. In the first revelation to Saint Margaret Mary, Jesus told her that His Heart is inflamed with love for humanity, from which he only receives ingratitude.
The heart is crowned with thorns to remind us of the passion of the one who loved us and gave himself for us, even spilling the last drop of blood that came from his wounded Heart.
The cross over the heart represents the triumph and greatness of Christ's love for humanity. It is a burning love that is not consumed: the flames of fire are reminiscent of the burning bush in Ex 3: 1-6. At the revelation of God in the bush, Moses could not approach, rather he had to remove his sandals; the love revealed in Christ is inclined to embrace human misery and to teach mankind to call God by the name of the Father (Lk 15: 20-24, Lk 11: 1-4).
The white dove, who seeks food in the wound of the open heart, symbolizes the Apostle who seeks in the Heart of Christ the strength and inspiration for her mission. It may be said that the whole upper part represents the inner life and prayer of the Apostle, who finds in the Heart of Jesus the source of her spiritual life as an Apostle of Love (cf. XV General Chapter "Charism and Mission" 1992). The drops of blood that spring from the open chest symbolize the Eucharist, the daily "bread" from which the Apostle nourishes herself in order to resemble Christ in the Love that is given to others. It also reminds us that Mother Clelia's spirituality was profoundly Eucharistic: she, "like a grain of wheat," offered her life so that the Institute, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, could triumph. It was the Love that overflowed from the open Heart that spurred Mother Clelia to move forward and to find the sisters and brothers in need of her time. It was charity, therefore, that directed her life, her actions, her conversations, and also the written advice to her daughters: "Exercise charity; that charity which should be the most precious jewel that shines brightly in our Institute." (MW 384).
The lower part of the Pauline motto represents the world and the missionary and apostolic dimension of the charism of Mother Clelia. The Apostle, impelled by love and in communion with Christ, will proclaim it. In fact, six years after the founding of the Institute, Mother Foundress sent the first missionary Apostles to Brazil (1900) and the United States (1902). The name Apostle includes the missionary dimension of our charism; to be Apostles like the first Apostles (cf. XV General Chapter "Charism and Mission", 1992). Mother exhorts us in her letter: - "Let us learn to be Apostles not only in name but according to the spirit of the Apostles..." (PM 70).
The boat symbolizes the Church sailing across the sea of the world to bring the Gospel to all peoples. The white dove is the Apostle who, as a missionary, sent by the Church, will carry the Good News of hope and peace, represented by the olive branch in the beak. The branch symbolizes the martyrdom of Christ and the new life flowing from the pierced Heart. The Apostle, once she is nourished in the "Source of Love", which is the Eucharist, is impelled to bring the Charity of Christ, with words and with her life, to every person who is part of her history and mission and to all places where Providence sends her.
