Jean Gailhac

Jean Gailhac (13 November 1802 – 1890) was a French Roman Catholic priest. He founded the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1849.

Life Pierre Jean Antoine Gailhac was born on 13 November 1802 in Béziers, France. He entered the major seminary in Montpellier in 1821 and was ordained by Bishop Nicolas Fournier for the Diocese of Montpellier on 23 September 1826. As a young priest he taught philosophy and helped in the religious formation of the students at the seminary.

On 12 September 1828, Father Jean Gailhac was assigned as chaplain to the civil and military hospital of the city of Béziers where he met many women who suffered from illnesses which were the result of prostitution. These women were mostly uneducated and had neither family nor social support. At first, Gailhac made arrangements for many of these women to be received in a shelter in Montpellier, paying their room and board. With the help of friends, in 1834 he founded the Good Shepherd, a shelter for these women. The Cures were devoted to the works that Father Gailhac had undertaken. In 1848 after the death of Eugene Cure, Appollonie Cure decided to devote her funds and her life to work for the education and help of these women and their children.

In 1849, Father Gailhac called together Appollonie Cure and five other women: Eulalie Vidal, Rosalie Gibbal, Rose Jeantet, Cécile Cambon, and Marie Roques to form the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.

Gailhac's spiritual writings were approved by theologians on 14 November 1952. Father Jean Gailhac was declared Venerable by the Roman Catholic Church in 1972. To mark the 220th anniversary of the founder's birth, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and their affiliates will be observing the Year of Jean Gailhac from the 13th of November 2022 and close on the 13th of November 2023 with various events planned.

The Jean Gailhac Association operates a Children's Home in Béziers. Le square Jean Gailhac in Beziers is named after him.