Hospitality Houses of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Hospitality Houses of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Hospitality Houses of the Apostles were not born as simple accommodation facilities. They were born from an encounter. From an attentive gaze toward those who were alone, far from home, and vulnerable. At the beginning of the twentieth century, many young women left their families to work in industrial cities. They lived far from home, often without any point of reference.
The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded in 1894 by Mother Clelia Merloni, felt there was a calling there. Not simply to offer a roof, but to offer the heart. Mother Clelia wrote to her spiritual daughters: “Be all heart for God and for your neighbor.”
This was not just generic advice. It was a way of life. To be heart meant to welcome, understand, accompany, and protect.
And so boarding houses for workers, residences for students, and houses near textile mills were born. Simple places, yet full of presence. Houses where the Sisters became mothers, sisters, and friends.
In these Houses, not only material hospitality was offered. A family was built. After long working hours, young women found a listening ear, dialogue, formation, moments of prayer, and fraternity. The Sisters safeguarded their dignity, strengthened their faith, and helped them look to the future with hope.
Mother Clelia desired communities capable of loving concretely. For this reason, she often repeated: “Love must not be only in words, but in deeds.”
It was not merely assistance. It was accompaniment.
It was an education of the heart.
Over time, needs changed, but the spirit remained the same. The works dedicated to young women evolved into Religious guesthouses, female student residences, hospitality houses for relatives of hospital patients, and Spirituality Centers.
In Alessandria, the House welcomed relatives of hospitalized patients, becoming a place of consolation in moments of suffering.
In Silvi Marina, the open arms of the image of the Sacred Heart above the entrance seem to repeat the words of the Gospel: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Today, the Hospitality Houses of the Apostles continue to be places where people enter as guests and are welcomed as persons.
For us, welcoming is not simply one service among many. It is a concrete form of living the Gospel.
Each House is inhabited by a community that prays and serves. Each open door tells a story that began more than a century ago. Each gesture of care echoes the spirituality of the Heart of Jesus.
Because, as Mother Clelia desired, we truly want to be “heart” for those who enter. Not simply offering a room.
But offering a place where people can feel cared for.
“Be all heart for God and for your neighbor”
For us, welcoming is not an additional service. It is a Gospel gesture.
It means believing that every person who crosses the threshold carries a sacred story within. It means offering an orderly, clean, and peaceful space where the heart can rest. It means knowing how to listen without invading. It means caring without holding back.
Our spirituality is born from the Heart of Jesus: an open, pierced, and self-giving heart. A heart that does not exclude or judge, but offers itself.
The Hospitality Houses of the Apostles wish to be exactly this: a concrete reflection of that love.
Every guest is unique and at the center of our attentive care
Maximum privacy for a peaceful and serene stay
Essential and elegant environments that encourage rest of mind and spirit
Impeccable spaces and authentic relationships based on kindness
A dedicated and available staff for every need
Each house has a dedicated staff committed to making you feel welcomed, cared for, and at home
The Institute of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was founded on May 30, 1894, in Viareggio, Italy, by Mother Clelia Merloni.
We are an international religious Congregation that lives and bears witness to the love of the Heart of Jesus through education, healthcare, pastoral ministry, and human promotion. Present in various countries, we work where the Church and society most need hope, care, and evangelization.
From its foundation, the Institute was born from the ardent desire to make the Heart of Jesus known, loved, and served.
In 1900, it received canonical recognition and quickly began its missionary expansion to other countries, including Brazil and the United States. From the very beginning, the Apostles dedicated themselves generously to the education of young people, Christian formation, and assistance to the most vulnerable, opening schools, orphanages, and social works.
Over more than a century, the Congregation has gone through moments of growth and periods of trial, always sustained by trust in Providence and fidelity to the charism of the Foundress.
Today, the Institute is present on different continents and continues its mission in the Church through educational, healthcare, pastoral, and social works, preserving and spreading the spirituality of reparative and merciful love.
The Hospitality Houses of the Apostles are part of this broader mission: they are not simply accommodation facilities, but places where spirituality and hospitality meet.
Each House is animated by a style that unites professionalism and Gospel spirit.
From the first boarding house for workers to today’s Hospitality Houses, what has never changed is the desire to be a presence.
Because each House is not merely a building. It is a place where someone is waiting for you. In a world that moves quickly, our Houses desire to be spaces of pause, listening, and renewal.
We welcome travelers, students, those seeking silence, and those longing for rest. With the conviction that hospitality can become an experience of humanity and, for those who desire it, an encounter with God.