Biography of St. Margaret Mary

St. Margaret Mary was a Visitation nun and the first person to begin the Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The fifth-born child of a French family, Margaret discovered a gift for mystical prayer, which led her to enter the Visitation monastery.

From the time she was 20, Margaret experienced visions of Christ. In a series of revelations, Christ mourned the world’s indifference and charged her to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Margaret responded with alacrity. She instituted the Feast of the Sacred Heart as well as a devotion known as the Nine Fridays. Devotion to the Sacred Heart flourished under her example, infusing Visitation convents far and wide.

Her emphasis on the Sacred Heart made her a natural for Visitation, along with her simple, grounded philosophy. “Accept with a good heart what Our Lord shows you to be applicable to yourself and do not bother about the rest,” she said.

Pope John Paul II has commended her extraordinary attentiveness. “Let us give thanks for the mystical experience of St. Margaret Mary,” he once said. “She had been given a remarkable calling, but in a hidden life, to know the power and beauty of the love of Christ.”

Tour of St. Margaret Mary's relics

St. Margaret Mary's relics will be on display in the New York area from Aug. 16-24. Come venerate the relics and grow in your devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Here is the pilgrimage schedule. All times are from 1-8 p.m.

Monday, August 16
St. Agnes Cathedral
29 Quealy Place
Rockville Centre, New York 11570-4036
www.stagnescathedral.org
516-766-0205

Tuesday, August 17
Sacred Heart Parish
282 Long Beach Road
Island Park, New York 11558
516-432-0655

Wednesday, August 18
St. Aidan's Church
505 Willis Avenue
Williston Park, New York 11596-1727
www.staidanparish.org
516-74- 6585

Thursday, August 19
St. Ignatius Jesuit Retreat House
251 Searingtown Road
Manhasset, New York 11030
WWW.INISFADA.NET
516-621-8300

Friday, August 20
SS. Philip and James Church
1 Carrow Place
St. James, New York 11780
www.sspj.org
631-584-5454

Saturday, August 21
Cure of Ars Church
2323 Merrick Avenue
Merrick, New York 11566
www.cureofarschurch.net
516-623-1400

Sunday, August 22
Shrine of Our Lady of the Island
258 Eastport Manor Road
Manorville, New York 11949
www.ourladyoftheisland.org
631-325-0661

Monday, August 23
St. Rosalie's Parish
31 East Montauk Highway
Hampton Bays, New York 11946-1896
www.saintrosalie.com
631-728-9461

Tuesday, August 24
Visitation Monastery
8902 Ridge Boulevard
Brooklyn, New York 11209-5716
Sister Susan email: Srsusanvhm@aol.com
718-745-5151

Media coverage

Source: U.S. Catholic
Publication date: June 5, 2010

"We're in a season of celebrations - weddings and anniversaries, birthdays and graduations - and we are following along, cutting cake, blowing balloons, sealing cards. But I'm thinking of a different celebration, a spiritual landmark of broad proportions and muted fanfare. This Sunday, June 6, the Visitation Sisters of Holy Mary celebrate their 400th anniversary. If this sounds like just another Order and just another jubilee, don't be mistaken: It's not."

Read full story.

Media coverage

Source: The Georgia Bulletin
Publication date: Dec. 10, 2009

"Following in the pattern created by St. Jane Frances de Chantal, nuns who belong to the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary are preparing to celebrate their 400th jubilee. Founded by St. Jane, a widow who sought a life of charity and holiness, and St. Francis de Sales in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France, in 1610, the order spread throughout Europe and across the Atlantic to North America."

Read full story.

Media coverage

Source: The Catholic Standard
Publication date: Jan. 28, 2010

"The Sisters of the Visitation in Georgetown celebrated the 400th anniversary of their order's founding on Jan. 24 with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Donald Wuerl at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. In his homily, Archbishop Wuerl called the Visitation Sisters' presence 'a gift.' "

Read full story.

The big day

This Sunday, June 6, marks the 400th anniversary of the Visitation Sisters of Holy Mary. Wherever you are, join prayerfully and joyfully in the celebration!

Feast of the Visitation

This Monday, May 31, is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary -- the perfect conclusion to Mary's month. In anticipation, enjoy the feast day's beautiful readings. Luke's Gospel account gives us powerful, poetic praise: first, part of the Hail Mary, as uttered by Elizabeth to her cousin Mary ("blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb"), then Mary's Magnificat ("my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior").