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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
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" AMASC STUDY PLAN
- 2002 to 2006 "
Prayer for
the Study Plan
"COLLABORATION FOR A TRANSFORMED WORLD"
In preparation for our World Congress in New Orleans in 2006, we are inviting
our alumnae and alumni around the world to join in a reflection and study
process with the central theme of "Collaboration for a Transformed World".
INTRODUCTION:
The Study Plan invites us all on a journey towards collaboration. It is designed
with the goal of deepening our awareness of our own gifts and blessings to
enable us all to use them to the fullest in the furtherance of the mission we
share with the Religious as part of the family of the Sacred Heart around the
world.
It is therefore our fervent wish that this Study Plan will be embraced in a
spirit of openness, hope and thanksgiving as we embrace the challenges of the
new millennium.
One of the exciting elements of the Study Plan in this new world is that it is
being shared by tens of thousands of Sacred Heart alumnae/i in more than forty
(40) countries around the world. It is our hope and prayer that through the use
of technology now available to many including the Internet and the AMASC web
site, that this Study Plan will reach individuals and associations thereby
increasing the participation in this process. With that in mind, we hope to be
able to accommodate differences of languages, cultures and social differences.
However, regardless of the varied challenges we each face, we are able to meet
these challenges with the strength of a Sacred Heart education and supported by
the tradition and faith given to each of us by the RSCJ.
The Study Plan will be available to all through the use of the Internet on the
AMASC web site which will enable individuals to participate on their own. In
addition, the Study Plan will be forwarded to the advisor of each country for
the wider dissemination to groups including the Religious, Alumnae/i
Associations, Children of Mary, Associates of the Society and individuals who
may be interested in participating. All of these responses will then be
forwarded to the Study Plan co-ordinator for review and collation in the
preparation of a final report to be given at the World Congress in 2006.
This Study Plan is intended to be a guide only - to foster exploration,
discussion and action. The Study Plan has been designed in a flexible way so
that each group, association and individual may tailor it to fit their own
needs. This may be accomplished in group discussions over weeks and months or in
a day of recollection or retreat. We hope and pray that the Study Plan will
provide you with a place to start the journey and in this process we will meet
along the way.
As always, we would appreciate any feedback you may have about this plan. We
look forward to hearing from you and hope that you will share your experiences
in this process. We also welcome suggestions you may have for any recommended
reading or other helpful materials you have used, including, prayers, quotes,
poetry, treasured music, films, books, photographs and web sites.
THEME OF STUDY
PLAN 2006
As we journey into the third millennium and with a theme of "Collaboration for a
Transformed World", we are reminded that the General Chapter of 2000 re-examined
the educational mission of the Society and sought new articulation of Sacred
Heart educational philosophy. Sacred Heart schools continue to provide students
with an education that transforms. Formed by the essential mission of Sacred
Heart education - discovering, living, and making known the love of the Heart of
God - Sacred Heart students can become saintes savantes, that is what St.
Madeleine Sophie called her "learned saints", a collective force in the world of
the future, shaping the quality of life for themselves and for their century.
Beyond formal education, the Society continues to extend its participation in
God's mission in the ministries of pastoral work, popular education, work with
women and children, and health and human development programs.
Rooted in the spirit of internationality and currently present in 44 countries,
the Society seeks a global perspective in inter-cultural awareness. This desire
to understand, respect, and be enriched by other cultures shapes the work of the
RSCJ in the newest foundations of Indonesia and Haiti and in inter-cultural
ministries around the world. It is essential to the mission of the Society at
the present time, and in the future, that there be lay collaboration.
The study plan for XIII Congress will therefore
build upon our study plan of reconciliation and move us towards "Collaboration
for a Transformed World".
STUDY
PLAN 2006
The study plan will take place in two phases:
Phase I will consist of
a time of reflection, wherein alumnae/i around the world will join together to
pray and reflect upon the incredible gifts we have been given through our Sacred
Heart education and tradition. As our President Olga Rome stated in her
inaugural address in Sydney,
Australia:
"Much is expected of those to whom much has
been given. We who are so blessed are challenged and compelled to action! As
children of the Sacred Heart, we are products of some of the greatest educators
in the world. Let us join hands with the Religious of the Sacred Heart in a
spirit of collaboration and love, as we pursue our common mission in the names
of Saints Madeleine Sophie Barat and Rose Philippine Duchesne: for the sake of a
single child - for the sake of every person!"
The basic theme for Phase I
will focus on the naming and claiming of our own gifts and talents. American
author Judith Duerk has written widely about our journey as woman in the world
and to ourselves. In her series Circle of Stones - she poses the simple
question, "How would your life have been different if.......?". This open-ended
and profound question will assist us all in accessing the values of our Sacred
Heart education. Think about it..........
How might your life have been different if, late one afternoon, near the end of
the summer, as you thought of the opening of school.......or trying again, to
learn to use your mind in traditional ways....something wondrous had happened?
If the women and men who were your teachers had invited their young
students...even the youngest girls and boys...to come sit in a circle ...and, of
course, you sat there, too? And you sensed the excitement in the voices of those
teachers as they spoke of a different way to use your fine, young minds.
If you sat and took a deep breath and felt the wonder of it all...the wonder of
women and men sitting in a circle, under the open sky, just outside the
school... gathered to share their wisdom with the young people in their care.
And you knew, from that day forward nothing would be quite the same... How might
your life be different?
Phase II of the study
plan will focus on the aims of the World Association and compel us to action.
Our values and our faith, combined with the unique cultural view of the many
tens of thousands of alumnae/i in this international family, will play a vital
and important role in fostering the work and spirit of the
Society of the Sacred Heart throughout the world. Every Association and
individual will be able to examine the gifts and talents each has received. In
doing so we can determine the best course of action in our own communities and
throughout the world. By working together we can, and with God's help, we will
continue the efforts of our founders by building Christian values of social
awareness, which impels each of us to action and personal growth, in an
atmosphere of wise freedom.
"I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me." - William
Blake
Gratitude is a simple thing. It requires nothing more than starting the day with
"thank you". Anonymous
Borrowed from AMASC website:
http://www.amasc-sacrecoeur.org/
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