Saints
On this page you will find information relating to saints with a connection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Saint Margaret Mary was born in 1647 in the Burgundy region of France. Deeply devoted to Jesu from a young age, she experienced illness, loss, and suffering that shaped her mission. At 24, she entered the Monastery of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial, where Jesus revealed to her the depths of His Sacred Heart.
Though she faced misunderstanding and contradiction, she faithfully conveyed Christ's call: to make His heart known and loved.
She died on 17th October 1690, was beatified in 1846, and canonised in 1920. Her spiritual guide, St Claude La Colombiere, recognised her visions as authentic and helped spread the devotion.
Margaret Mary left behind a rich treasury of letters, prayers, and personal notes that reveal her deep mystical union with Christ. These writings - marked by vivid imagery and a tone of personal intimacy - are now spiritual classics of the devotion.
"If only I were able to express everything I know about this amiable devotion, and reveal to the world the gracious treasures that Jesus holds in this adorable heart..."
- St Margaret Mary, from her letters
In her writings, she speaks of the Heart of Jesus as a "source of all blessings", a "furnace of love", and a place of consolation and reparation. She describes visions of His Heart aflame, pierced and open, and overflowing with mercy.
Even when words failed her, she turned to symbols and images: flames, light, the sun, a spring of water - all pointing to the inexhaustible love of Christ. Today, her letters and prayers continue to move hearts and draw souls into the mystery of the Sacred Heart.
Saint Claude la Colombiere
Saint Claude was born in 1641 in southeastern France. He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at the age of 17, drawn by a desire to serve Christ with his whole heart. Known for his intelligence, eloquence, and deep interior life, he was ordained a priest and became a preacher and spiritual director,
In 1675, he was sent to the Monastery of the Visitation at Paray-le-Monial - and there, he met St Margaret Mary Alacoque. Recognising the authenticity of her mystical experiences, he became her confidante and champion, convinced that her message about the Heart of Jesus was divinely inspired.
"Let every beat of my heart be a protest of love for you."
- St Claude La Colombiere, Act of Love and Trust
He preached the devotion with great clarity and fidelity, even amid scepticism and difficulty. His firm support gave Margaret Mary the strength to persevere, and helped lay the theological foundation for the Church's eventual embrace of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
After a brief mission to England where he suffered persecution, Claude returned to France and died in 1682, aged only 41 - consumed by love and illness.
He was beatified in 1929 and canonised by Pope John Paul ll in 1992.
Today, he is honoured as the "Apostle of the Sacred Heart", a witness to spiritual friendship, trust in Christ, and courage in proclaiming divine love.