History of the Priests of the Sacred Heart

1878

Founded by Fr. Leo John Dehon in St. Quentin, France

1888

First SCJ foreign mission established in Ecuador, followed by missions in Brazil and Congo within the next decade.

1923

Ministry in the USA begins in a mission among Native Americans in Lower Brule, South Dakota.

1929

Monastery for first American SCJ seminarians opens in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.

1933

US Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart established with headquarters in Wisconsin.

1964

29 members of the SCJ congregation, including a bishop, murdered in a bloody rebellion in Congo

1968

Current Sacred Heart Monastery building dedicated on site across from original structure.

2013

SCJs inaugurate District of Vietnam, bringing global presence to 41 countries on five continents.