Clelian Center was founded in 1988 by the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, following a long line of Apostle ministries across the United States.

The congregation, founded in Italy in 1894 by Clelia Merloni, first sent missionaries to the United States in 1902. Those Apostles settled first in Boston and later moved to the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven in 1906. Having outgrown their property in Wooster Square, they purchased what is now known as Mount Sacred Heart in 1949.

In 1976, Sacred Heart Manor was built as a retirement community for the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Manor building was expanded in 1988 and Clelian Center was established. Since that time, Clelian Center has been providing daytime companionship and creating moments of joy, faith, and love for adults in the surrounding communities as well as respite for their families.