17155 NW US Hwy 441 · High Springs, FL 32643 · 386-454-2358·

O God of our hearts, we stand before You,

a growing community of faith.

Graciously hear our prayer, and bless us

on our journey.

We rely on Your constant guidance and

presence in all that we do.

Almighty and ever living God, You have

blessed each of us at St. Madeleine Church.

Make us aware, not so much of what we have given,

but what we have received,

and what we are called to share.

Give us Your grace to be generous and to sacrifice.

Unite our Parish O Lord as we

Preserve Our Heritage and Build For Our Future.

Amen

Mission Statement

We, the parishioners of St. Madeleine Catholic Church, direct our hearts to the renewal of our personal lives by the worship of God in prayer, adoration and the sacramental life.  We desire to be the Lord's servants to our families, parish community and the entire world.  We believe the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith.  Through it, we receive the light of Christ in our hearts and live the gospel message through faith-filled education, social outreach and charity.
 

The Patroness of our parish family was born in 1779, in Burgundy, France. She grew up in the simple home of a wine barrel-maker where her brother Louis, unable to complete his training for the priesthood because of the political upheaval of the French Revolution, gave her a remarkable intellectual formation for a young girl of the time. He introduced her to mathematics, ancient history, the classics, literature and languages. At the age of sixteen, she went with Louis to Paris where she continued her studies in philosophy, theology and scripture.

It was in Paris she learned of plans to form a new congregation for women whose end would be to make known the universal and unconditional love of God revealed in the person of Jesus. On November 21, 1800, Madeleine Sophie and three others consecrated their lives to God in the Society of the Sacred Heart. In this act, they committed themselves to a way of life that would be deeply rooted in prayer and devotion to the service of others in union with Jesus.

Madeleine Sophie saw the education of women as the primary means by which the Society would enable others to come to know God's love and be empowered to bring about social change. Gradually she opened schools throughout France and Europe. In 1818, Mother Barat sent future saint Philippine Duchesne to North America and the Society spread through the United States and Canada.

Madeleine Sophie is said to have predicted her own death, which took place on Ascension Thursday, May 25, 1865. She was canonized in 1925 at which time the Church recognized her virtues of wisdom, humility and charity. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart, June 19, 2009, Madeleine Sophie's incorrupt body was moved from Brussels to the Church of Saint Francis Xavier in Paris.

St. Madeleine Sophie's Daily Prayer