The present "Hartzer Park" property was purchased in 1947 as a place of training for young women who were joining the Congregation. At the time the property was known as Eridge Park.
"Hartzer Park" was named after Marie Louise Hartzer, who was the first Superior General of our Congregation.
Mother Marie Louise guided the small group of women in the very beginnings of the Congregation and it was through her wise, practical, motherly guidance and skilful leadership that the Congregation spread throughout Europe and into Oceania.
Our spirituality is summed up in our motto: May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved! Therefore regular contemplation of the Heart of Jesus in the Gospels and a desire to make Jesus Known in all life's situations is a significant aspect of our spirituality. We are called to a special relationship with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and we honour her under the title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. We endeavour to foster love in the world and work particularly with the poor and disadvantaged.
The original inhabitants of Bowral and of the lands in which Hartzer Park is situated were the Tharawal people. We wish to honour and acknowledge their presence and history.
Hartzer Park is a ministry of the Australian Province of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. We are an international Congregation of women ministering and working in over twenty-eight countries of the world.
Our Congregation was founded at Issoundun in France in 1874 by Jules Chevalier,
a Missionary of the Sacred Heart priest.
The present building in which you are accommodated was built in 1963. It is built in a European monastic style with hundreds of arches and six main cloisters around a central courtyard. The inspiring chapel is in a Romanesque and Byzantine style.
Hartzer Park, as a place of rest, retreat and centre for human and spiritual development was opened to the general public in January 1978. The staff are committed to providing an atmosphere of peace and refreshment where each visitor is made to feel at home in the quiet and tranquil surroundings.
We hope that you enjoy your stay with us and that your love for your God is deepened and affirmed.
Father Chevalier had a special love for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. To honour her he gave her a beautiful new title, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
He believed that this title spoke of the close relationship between Mother and Son and of how we are all called to enter into this mystery of union and love which the heart of Jesus has for each one of us.
Jules Chevalier saw Mary as the first disciple and witness of Jesus' love and that Mary's deepest desire is to lead all people to the knowledge and love of Jesus.