Joseph de Gallifet
Joseph de Gallifet was a French Jesuit priest, known for his promotion of the devotion of the Sacred [Heart of Jesus].
Life
Gallifet was born near Aix-en-Provence, France. He entered the Society of Jesus at the age of fifteen, and upon taking up his studies came under the direction of Claude La Colombière, the confessor of Margaret Mary Alacoque. While on a mission of charity during his third year of probation at Lyon, he caught a fever which brought him to death's door. A certain father made a vow in his name that if he were spared, de Gallifet would spend his life in the cause of the Sacred Heart. Gallifet recovered and ratified the vow.He had three successive rectorships—at Vesoul, at Lyon, and at Grenoble. The last-named appointment was followed by the provincialship of the Province of Lyon. In 1723, he was chosen assistant for France, an office which brought him to Rome. Here he worked effectively for the spread of the devotion.
Returning from Rome in 1732, he again became rector at Lyons where he passed his last years. He lived to see the establishment of over 700 confraternities of the Sacred Heart.