OUR HISTORY

We were founded in France in 1791 by Father Pierre Joseph de Cloriviere, a Jesuit.  Father Cloriviere was the last Jesuit in France to make solemn vows before the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773.  He founded the Institute of the Priests of the Heart of Jesus for diocesan priests at a time when new religious orders were forbidden.  His vision was prophetic...diocesan priests connected to each other through the vows and a common Ignatian spirituality while continuing to live and minister as diocesan priests.  Father Cloriviere anticipated by 150 years the concept of a secular institute, where diocesan priests and lay men and women would profess the evangelical counsels while continuing to live in their own homes and engage in their regular activities.