Once the revelations to Saint Margaret Mary had become widespread, numerous religious orders, congregations and associations dedicated themselves to propagating the devotion to the Sacred Heart and then other orders were founded exclusively for this purpose. Many saints also made themselves champions of this devotion.
Blessed Anna Magdalena Rémuzat (1696-1730), a Visitation nun, continued the work of Margaret Mary and, as we shall see, played a significant role in reviving the devotion to the Sacred Heart in Europe.
St. Louis Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), in addition to being one of the great apostles of Marian devotion, also propagated the devotion to the Sacred Heart. The congregation he founded, the Missionaries of Mary, popularized far and wide the use of paintings, shields and banners depicting the Sacred Heart.
Saint Veronica Giuliani (1660-1727), a Franciscan mystic, had divine visions and revelations concerning, among other things, the Heart of Jesus.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787), the enemy of Jansenism, the influence of which he reduced to a minimum in central and southern Italy was a zealous propagator of this devotion. He obtained permission from the Holy See to celebrate the feast of the Divine Heart in his own diocese of Saint Agatha dei Goti; he also composed the first Novena of the Sacred Heart.
Other apostles of the Divine Heart were the Spaniard Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos (1711-1734), a Jesuit who died at the young age of 24, and the Servant of God Pierre Picot de Clorivière (1736-1820), who re-founded the Society of Jesus in France and oversaw the spiritual formation of “victims of the Sacred Heart” dedicated to atone for the crimes of the French Revolution.
Greater still was the work started in Italy by the Venerable Pio Bruno Lanteri (1759-1830), defender of the Church and the Papacy persecuted by the Revolution and Napoleon. The Sacred Heart was the “inner doctrine” of Christian Friends, a vast network of associations that he organized all over Europe. He passed on this devotion to the future association called Work of the Congress, which in turn passed it on to the Italian Catholic Action.
In the early nineteenth century, the French Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865) founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, which spread throughout the world, for the restoration of the family, torn apart by neo-pagan models and doctrines, and taking special care of the education of girls.
Saint Michael Garicoïts (1797-1893), a Frenchman, founded the Congregation of the Sacred Heart, called Betharran, for training youth and providing spiritual life for parishes.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868), a French priest, founded the Congregation of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament, promoting not only the adoration of the Eucharist but also the devotion to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
St. John Bosco (1815-1888), founder of the Salesians, in addition to spreading devotion to Mary Help of Christians, also propagated that to the Sacred Heart, to whom he dedicated one church in Rome and another in Barcelona. One of his spiritual sons, the Venerable Andrew Beltrami (1870-1897), wrote a meritorious pamphlet that greatly spread the devotion.
The French Jesuit Henri Ramière (1821-1884), author of 76 works, inherited and practically re-founded (in 1863) the association Apostleship of Prayer; the magazine of the Association, Le Messager du Sacre-Coeur, was printed in 53 editions in 32 languages and had a half million subscribers, reaching about 15 million readers. The main task of this association was to promote the consecration of nations and families to the Sacred Heart.
Blessed Catherine Volpicelli (1839-1894) founded in Naples the Congregation of Slaves of the Sacred Heart, on the advice of Blessed Louis of Casoria and Father Ramière, promoting reparatory adoration by housewives of the Sacred Heart in the Eucharist.
St. Frances Cabrini (1850-1917) founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and entrusted it to the patronage of Saint Margaret Mary. Mother Cabrini spread devotion especially among Italian immigrant circles in America.
Blessed Benigna Consolata Ferrero (1885-1916), a Visitation nun in Como, received interior voices in which Jesus entrusted her with the mission of saving souls thanks to devotion to the Sacred Heart.
The Spanish Sister Josefa Menendez (1890-1923), a coadjutrix of the aforementioned Society of the Sacred Heart, wrote a very popular book titled The Way of Divine Love calling on souls to trust in an eternal promise of mercy for those who turn to the Heart of Jesus with a contrite heart.
The Capuchin Sister Consolata Betrone (1903-1946), linked to the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux, called on weak and “little” souls to have devotion to the Sacred Heart as an easy and quick way to attain holiness.
St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941), Polish Franciscan, founder of the Militia of the Immaculata, was a great devotee of the Sacred Heart, whose Kingship he spread and defended from the attacks of Freemasonry, Nazism and Communism.
St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), a Polish nun, received revelations from Jesus about the Sacred Heart and spread the celebrated icon of the merciful Love, also promoting the feast of Divine Mercy.
