At a certain
point you say
to the woods, to the sea,
to the mountains,
the world,
Now I am ready.
Now I will stop and be wholly attentive.
You empty yourself and wait,
listening...
Annie Dillard
Our MISSION
From its
beginnings and during the first century and a half of its existence the
Society exercised its mission chiefly through the education of youth in
schools and colleges. However, the widespread changes resulting from Vatican
II challenged Religious of the Sacred Heart to question their
way of embodying their mission of education.
Madeleine Sophie's own concept of
education helped them in their search; for her the aim of education was to
teach girls how to become active women in the world.
She saw education,
therefore, as a means of transforming society, of improving it, of
renewing
the social fabric. That is why today Religious of the Sacred Heart fulfil
their service of education in many areas, including;
- Prayer
- Human development
- Promotion of Justice and Peace
- Formal teaching and training
- Supporting and working alongside the less privileged
- Pastoral work
- Hospitals; Rest Homes
- Retreats
- Spirituality Centre
We need to undertake
a deeper understanding of education, so that everyone may grow in personal and
community responsibility.
We must find specific places and
circumstances conducive to making a really educative response to the questions
that matter most: formation in relationships, formation of women and girls. We
want to work in solidarity with and for women who suffer the injustices of
society, almost always alone, and often amidst contempt and lack of
understanding. We want to discover out how to help women to liberate
themselves and work to achieve this.
There is always a
possibility of finding your place in The Society of the Sacred Heart.
Your desire, to reach out to others; to commit yourself to working for justice
and peace in our world; to be open to the voice of the God of Love, in regular
prayer; your need to make a difference...are signs of a deep, inner call to
respond to a sustaining Power much greater than any of us can imagine...
Sit back, listen and let God do the talking....