Worldwide Presence
International Congregation
The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is an international congregation with provinces and missions on five continents. We share the love of Christ with all to whom and with whom we minister. The language of love is one in the Heart of God!
The Generalate is located in Rome, Italy, and is home to the Superior General and the General Council. The Superior General, assisted by her council, governs and guides the Congregation in fidelity to the spirit of the Congregation.
Superior General, Mother Miriam Cunha Sobrinha, ASCJ
Mother Miriam Cunha Sobrinha was born in Varzea, Brazil, on August 15, 1965. She entered the congregation in 1989 and completed her initial formation in the Province of Sao Paulo. In 1994, she started her internal Juniorate in Rome, and she professed perpetual vows in Avezzano, Italy, in 1998.
Mother Miriam completed a licenciate in Religious Studies and in Philosophy at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome. She continued her studies in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University where she earned a Diploma in Theology and Certificate in Fundamental Theology.
Mother Miriam has served in educational administration, vocational ministry and religious education. In Switzerland, she worked with children of immigrants in a nursery school. She has served as Provincial Secretary of the Sao Paulo Province, Vice Provincial of the former Central North Vice Province of Brazil and as Provincial Superior of the Sao Paulo Province.
She was elected Superior General of the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on July 21, 2016.
General Council
Pictured left to right: Sr. Maria Fernanda Trucco Alemán, General Councilor; Sr. Anne Theresa Walsh, Vicaress and General Councilor; Mother Miriam Cunha Sobrinha, Superior General; Sr. Laura Mazzoleni, General Treasurer; Sr. Maria Cristina Pievani, General Councilor; Sr. Susana de Jesus Fadel, General Councilor and General Secretary.
Provinces Across the Globe
ITALY
Province Mother Clelia
(Provincia D’Italia Madre Clelia)
- Provincialate located in Silvi Marina
- Approximately 555 sisters
- Missions in Switzerland, Benin and Albania
BRAZIL
Sacred Heart of Jesus Brazilian Province
(Província Brasileira Clélia Merloni)
- Provincialate located in Sao Paulo
- Approximately 275 professed sisters
- Missions in Haiti, Mozambique and the Republic of the Congo
Clelia Merloni Brazilian Province
(Província Brasileira Clélia Merloni)
- Provincialate located in Curitiba
- Approximately 225 professed sisters
LATIN AMERICAN
Sacred Heart of Jesus Latin American Delegation
(Apóstoles del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús)
- Delegation center located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Approximately 35 professed sisters
- Missions in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay
UNITED STATES
Mary Queen of Apostles Province
- Provincialate located in Hamden, Connecticut
- Approximately 115 professed sisters
- Mission in Waterford, Ireland
Past Superior Generals
These devoted women have followed in the footsteps of Blessed Mother Clelia Merloni as leaders of our worldwide congregation.






