living our mission : Connecting Generations

In early November 2022, students and educators from Network of Sacred Heart Schools member schools traveled to the Pallotine Renewal Center in Florissant, Missouri, for “Living Our Sacred Heart Mission,” a program aimed at engaging participants in intergenerational dialogue on the mission of Sacred Heart education and the history of the Society of the Sacred Heart in North America.

Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ, Provincial of the United States – Canada Province, opened the program with a presentation on the life of the founder of the Society, Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, and her vision for education. Participants then spent two days in small group conversations with Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ): Reyna González, Sharon Karam, and Diane Roche.

During these small group discussions, participants explored the implications of Vatican II for Sacred Heart education and heard stories about the sisters’ personal call to religious life and the stories of their vocations. The group also heard from Sheila Haggas, executive director of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, on the importance of partnering in our shared mission, and Carolina, a senior from Convent of the Sacred Heart (91st Street) in New York City, on the role many RSCJ have played in her life.

The students had the opportunity to visit Villa Duchesne School of the Sacred Heart and educators visited the Society’s United States – Canada Province Archives in St. Louis. The program wrapped up with a prayer service and ceremony at the Shrine of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne in neighboring St. Charles, at which the RSCJ presented all participants with their “Sacred Heart Inheritance,” a pin symbolizing their role in carrying out Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s vision.