One of the most moving aspects of our European project is to bring staff from our schools in Europe to Joigny. It is a privilege to see how inspired and re-invigorated staff are by the experience of being in Sophie’s home, which brings to life the story so many of them have taught countless times to groups of young people. Hearing Maryvonne Keraly RSCJ speak of Sophie’s original vision and explain the depths of Sacred Heart Spirituality, as well as our prayer together and the visit to the town and the vineyards that Sophie knew so well, all add to a very special time and increased understanding of their mission as Sacred Heart educators. This year there were 24 of us from Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Scotland and England.

Two representatives from Spain (Marta and Javier) were particularly gifted at helping us understand each other’s exchange, which was open and most thoughtful. The community, as always, welcomed us with warmth making us feel completely at home. On Saturday 17 of us stayed on in Paris for a visit to St Francois Xavier, the Rue Babylon and the gardens of the Musee Rodin, kindly led by Isabelle Lagneau RSCJ. Since 2011 over 100 staff have been at sessions organised by members of the Coreteam, including individual network visits.

An event for the French Network in May 2015

The nine French institutions of the Sacred Heart with the two institutions from Belgium will gather in May at Sophie Barat School in Chatenay-Malabry near Paris. This event, called “Atout Cœur”, will bring together more than five hundred pupils with their teachers, celebrating the benefits of being part of the Sacred Heart Network.

The aim is to show the initiative, cohesion and dynamism among our institutions which were founded by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart of France. It will also allow young people and adults to get to  know each other better. This gathering takes place every four years.  Each school is to give a presentation on its special identity as well as lead a workshop from amongst these topics: music, choir singing, dance, sculpture, photography, drama, international exchanges, sports… Each institution’s students will wear a different colour T shirt : Amiens: green; Bondues: dark blue: Chatenay-Malabry: light green; Marmoutier: light blue; Marseille: yellow: Montpellier: orange; Nantes: red, Jette: purple: Lindthout: pink.

The Sacred Heart Sisters will give two presentations:

the RSCJ volunteer programme, for young people who wish to meet people from a different culture and help them;

Educ’Pasion programme, for teachers who wish to share their vision of education through the insight of Madeleine Sophie’s pedagogy.

No doubt this gathering will be a great success!

Announcement of the Winners of the 2015 Jeanne Burke O’Fallon AASH Essay Contest

As you know, from the original announcement, the theme of the 40th AASH Biennial Conference is “Philanthropy From the Heart.” In keeping with this theme, we, the essay committee, invited students in grades eight through twelve of all Sacred Heart Network Schools to explore the meaning of “Philanthropy,” defined as the “love of humanity” in the sense of caring, nourishing, developing and enhancing “what it is to be human....” We asked each student to incorporate meaningful experiences of family, school, extracurricular, and community service activities as witness to their understanding of this “two-way exchange of virtue” between benefactor and beneficiary.

The Committee received twenty-six student essays from fifteen schools, east to west, north to south, in the Network of Schools of the Sacred Heart. Contributors were male and female, and all grades were represented. As a committee, we loved reading the essays and learning about the interpretation of the spirit of philanthropy in students’ lives. We gave each essay serious and careful consideration, both individually and collectively. We were gratified to see the writing reflected the traditions of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and St. Philippine Duchesne and that Sacred Heart values are lived on a daily basis. As alumnae of the Sacred Heart, we commend our essayists for your sensitive writing and keen understanding of the true meaning of philanthropy. We know the world is a better place because of the extension of your strong Sacred Heart values and your selfless dedication to others. With gratitude, we acknowledge all your essays, especially for your thoughtful reflection and perceptive development of this year’s theme.

It was a difficult task to make the final choices. Congratulations to the overall winner and three additional essayists, who are recognized for their outstanding writing and clarity of thought and your understanding of philanthropic interaction.

First Place:
Teresa Haney, Duchesne Academy, Houston, Texas, Senior “The Power Of A Choice”

Second Place:
Misha Kordestani, Sacred Heart Preparatory, Atherton, California, Senior
“Hidden Faces”

Third Place:
E. Fayette Plambeck, Stuart Country Day School, Princeton, New Jersey, Senior
“In the Blue Ridge Mountains”

Nicole Zivkovic, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York, New York, 11th Grade
“Language of the Heart”

Since the Associated Alumnae and Alumni of the Sacred Heart was founded to support and promote our Sacred Heart schools and the Society of the Sacred Heart, we celebrate all of the students as future members of AASH, and we congratulate the winners of the 2015 Jeanne Burke O’Fallon AASH Essay Contest. You have demonstrated the special values instilled in each of us through our Sacred Heart education.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary Mutrie MacBey
Jeanne Burke O’Fallon
Sylvia Quarles Simmons
Ursula Smith
Karen Murphy Birmingham, Committee Chair

New and Improved "Page-a-Day Calendar"

     -with spiral binding and easel stand-

In 1800 Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865) founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, a community of women who currently live and minister in forty-three countries on five continents and who, together with their associates, colleagues and friends, constitute the family of the Sacred Heart world-wide.

Sophie, as she was known by family and friends, was a remarkable administrator, an extraordinary educator and a visionary spiritual leader whose whole life was dedicated to the heart of Christ and to making God’s love known.  In these pages you will find an amazing range of her teachings on every topic from prayer and the interior life to grace, forgiveness, finances, fasting, teaching, self-forgetfulness, suffering, mindfulness, even letter writing.

These words of wisdom have been excerpted from translations of her letters and conferences.  The editors have exercised a certain freedom to make Sophie’s words accessible for today.  Archaisms have been eliminated; dated piety has been rendered in more contemporary idiom.  Sometimes her exhortations addressed to her sisters or to the Society of the Sacred Heart have been addressed rather to the family of God’s Heart, that larger circle who have been touched by her vision and drawn into her orbit.  We have retained Sophie’s references to “vocation,” convinced that each one of us has a vocation—a calling—to the holy life in virtue of our baptism.  We have also included a fair number of references to one of Sophie’s favorite virtues, humility,  believing it is not only not passé, but a virtue deeply in tune with current cosmology (from humus, of the earth) and the reality of our place in the whole of God’s created universe.  Finally, we have tried to provide more gender-balanced language for God:  while retaining some references to Father and Lord for the first and second persons of the Trinity we have used feminine pronouns for the Holy Spirit, the Ruah or “breath” of God, which is feminine in the Hebrew.

To give this calendar a longer life we have included only dates, not the days of the week.  After the month of December you will find an appendix of  some movable feasts (Thanksgiving, Ash Wednesday, the days of the triduum, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, The Body and Blood of Christ, the Sacred Heart, the Heart of Mary, and Christ the King). In addition, we have assigned some texts where they might prove most helpful:  Lenten quotes in March; the Sacred Heart litany at the end of May; many quotes about the Holy Spirit in the month of June (Pentecost); and texts about teaching and mission in general at the beginning of the academic year in September.

We hope you will find in these pages inspiration, challenge, occasional humor, and some thought-provoking reflections.  Above all we hope you will come to know and love Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat through the wisdom she offers you day by day.

Lisa Buscher, RSCJ
Kathleen Hughes, RSCJ
Editors

Click here to print and place your order with the Provincial Office in St. Louis, Missouri.

Contact:

Lisa Terneus
Society of the Sacred Heart
4120 Forest Park Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-652-1500
lterneus@rscj.org

Golden Apple Foundation named Sacred Heart Head of Schools Nat Wilburn as one of five finalists for the Stanley C. Golder Leadership Award. The award honors the exemplary performance of a Pre-K-12th grade principal or head of school from the Chicagoland area.

From hundreds of nominations, the field was initially whittled to 16 semi-finalists. Each was visited at his/her school by the Golden Apple selection committee. The committee based their evaluation on the criteria for the award: 1) personal excellence 2) balanced and collaborative leadership 3) passion for student achievement and 4) expertise in curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Mr. Wilburn and the four other finalists were honored at a Celebration of Excellence April 11 at the Chicago O’Hare Marriott. The winner of the award will be announced mid-May. The 2015 Leadership Award recipient will receive $10,000 to be used for his/her own professional development and a school project. In addition, the winner will be recognized during a broadcast on WTTW/Channel 11 in November.
 
“I am very grateful for being recognized as a Golden Apple finalist,” said Wilburn.  “ It is a wonderful validation of our community’s commitment to continually deepen our life in the mission of Sacred Heart education and strengthen our academic program.”  
 
Nat Wilburn has been Head of Schools since July 2009, after serving five years as principal. He has 19 years of experience as a Sacred Heart educator both in Chicago and San Francisco. He holds a Masters of Education from Loyola University Chicago, a Masters of Divinity from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee.

Under Wilburn’s tenure as Head, the Schools have expanded and renovated facilities, built enduring relationships with neighboring schools and churches and augmented professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. Currently, he is leading the initiative at SHS which utilizes teacher coaches, MAP testing, ATLAS Curriculum Mapping and other innovations to assure differentiated instruction for each student.

“Teachers, staff and administrators are doing wonderful work here, and I have the great blessing of providing leadership in this community,” said Wilburn. 

Nominated by fellow educators and community members, finalists must have served as principal or head of school at a public or non-public schools for five or more consecutive school years. Last year Mayor Emanuel presented the Stanley C. Golder Leadership Award to Alan Mather, principal of Lindblom Math & Science Academy.

For a full lists of finalists, visit www.goldenapple.org/2015-award-finalists.

For more information, contact Sam Sinkhorn, Sacred Heart Web Editor:
sam.sinkhorn@shschicago.org

Sacred Heart Schools, comprised of the Academy of the Sacred Heart for Girls and Hardey Preparatory for Boys, are independent, Catholic, K-8 elementary schools offering single-sex education to a culturally and economically diverse student body. Founded in 1876, they are part of the international Network of Sacred Heart Schools.

A group of Sacred Heart educators from most of the east coast network schools met at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami from April 15 to 17.  The agenda was to pray, collaborate, and develop ideas about how to deepen and ensure the vitality of Saint Madeleine Sophie’s vision in our school communities.  While several schools from the northeast could not be present due to the urgent need to make up some of the snow days they had this winter, the following schools were represented: Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bethesda; Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City; Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Princeton;  Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, Princeton; Country Day School of the Sacred Heart - Bryn Mawr.

On Thursday the group had a tour of the Barat and Duchesne campuses of Carrollton with a focus on Sacred Heart iconography.  Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ gave an update on the Conference of Sacred Heart Education and later Paul Parker offered a presentation and discussion on some of the significant practices that comprise Sacred Heart spirituality. Thursday night found the group continuing the discussions at a festive dinner in Coconut Grove.  Friday’s agenda was about sharing best practices, resources and challenges and Tim Stevens from Princeton Academy led a ‘Sacred Heart Tournament’, which is an engaging and enjoyable experience related to the Goals and Criteria The warmth of the climate and the beautiful setting was a respite for those who had travelled south and this set the stage for a productive and supportive gathering.

We congratulate the Sacred Heart Primary school in Mexico City for participating in an international competition of Eco School Project and  has won 1st place in Mexico. The link below will take you to the 12 world finalist videos. The first stage of voting for the winners is over the Internet:

http://eco-schools-projects.org/wda/winner-videos/

--go to the video from Mexico

--click on 5 stars

Only one vote from any single device, so a vote can come from a PC and an I-Pad and a Smart-phone, etc.

Voting ends of Sunday May 3. Winners will be announced on May 6th.

Following that, a jury will select 3 of the most voted-on videos.

----------

Queremos felicitar al Colegio del Sagrado Corazón de la Ciudad de México por su participación en el concurso mundial ambiental "Eco School Projects" y por haber ganado a nivel nacional.

Los doce finalistas mundiales están compitiendo para conseguir el mayor número de votos para su video. Para apoyar a nuestro colegio por favor entren a la página:

http://eco-schools-projects.org/wda/winner-videos/

Busquen el video de México y den clic en el ícono de 5 estrellas.

Se puede votar una sola vez desde cada dispositivo, así que pueden participar desde su iPad, computadora y teléfono celular y por favor, ¡corran la voz!

La votación terminará el 3 de mayo a las 24:00 y los ganadores se darán a conocer el miércoles 6 de mayo.

La siguiente etapa consistirá en que un jurado elegirá tres de los cinco videos con más votos.

¡Buena suerte, Colegio del Sagrado Corazón de la Ciudad de México, cuentan con nuestro apoyo y admiración!

AMASC

Network of Sacred Heart Schools
2015 Summer Service

During the summer of 2014, service opportunities sponsored by the Network office provided 150 students with 46 adults in 15 projects across the United States and Canada. Network summer service projects work through an internalization of Goal Three, Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action. The projects were made available through the dedication of families, schools, facilities, faculty and staff throughout the Network.

GOAL THREE

Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness which impels to action.

•The school educates to a critical consciousness that leads its total community to analyze and reflect on the values of society and to act for justice.
•The school offers all its members opportunities for direct service and advocacy and instills a life-long commitment to service.
•The school is linked in a reciprocal manner with ministries among people who are poor, marginalized and suffering from injustice.
•In our multicultural world, the school prepares and inspires students to be active, informed, and responsible citizens locally, nationally, and globally.
•The school teaches respect for creation and prepares students to be stewards of the earth's resources.

For questions about summer service, please contact Stephanie Moore at 636-724-7003 or smoore@sofie.org.

Network of Sacred Heart Schools Summer Service Projects – 2015

-Click to visit each project webpage-

Food Deserts in the Land of Plenty / Chicago, IL
Monica Rischiotto / Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart – Chicago, IL
June 13 – 20, 2015

Clown Academy I / Sacred Heart Schools – Atherton, CA
Thomas von Oehsen / Princeton Academy, Princeton, NJ
June 13 – 20, 2015

WITNESS: Hope. Justice. Empowerment
Allison Toepp / Sprout Creek Farm – Poughkeepsie, NY
June 14 – 24, 2015

St. Madeleine Sophie Center / El Cajon & San Diego, CA 
Christy Crandall / Sacred Heart Schools, Chicago, IL
June 14 – June 21, 2015

Thensted Center / Grand Coteau, LA
Bonnie Kearney, rscj / Schools of the Sacred Heart – Grand Coteau, LA
June 20 – 26, 2015

Coteau Carpenters / Grand Coteau, LA
Sr. Bonnie Kearney, rscj / Schools of the Sacred Heart –  Grand Coteau, LA
June 20-26, 2015

Helping Hungry Hearts
Lynette Nixon / Academy of the Sacred Heart – Bloomfield Hills, MI
June 21-25, 2015

Food and Faith
Scott Quinn / Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart – Omaha, NE
June 21-26, 2015

#ProjectNAO / Miami, FL
Matt Jansen / Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart – Miami, FL
June 22-27, 2015

Juvenile Justice / Sacred Heart Schools Chicago, IL
Jane Steinfels / Sacred Heart Schools, Chicago, IL
June 27 – July 4, 2015

Rebuild NOLA New Orleans, LA
Sue Heidel / Academy of the Sacred Heart-The Rosary – New Orleans, LA
July 25 – 31, 2015

Clown Academy II / Princeton, NJ
Tom von Oehsen / Princeton Academy – Princeton, NJ
July 25 –August 1, 2015

Planet Earth, Dig It / Sprout Creek Farm, Poughkeepsie, NY
Allison Toepp / Sprout Creek Farm – Poughkeepsie, NY
July 26 – 31, 2015

Project Harvest I AND II / Sprout Creek Farm, Poughkeepsie, NY
Allison Toepp / Sprout Creek Farm
Project Harvest I August 2 - 7, 2015
Project Harvest II August 9 - 14, 2015

Dear Network of Sacred Heart Schools-United States and Canada:

Trusting the Heart of Jesus and blessing his work with great joy, we are pleased to invite the directors and managers of their Colleges and Institutions of Formal Education, Sacred Heart, to participate in the 5th International Conference to be held in Mexico City from 21 to 25 October, 2015.

The title of this conference is “Given the complexity of the world, an inner journey." The issues to be addressed relate to the analysis of current realities of our youth, where social networks play an important role, with the meaning of education from our spirituality incarnate.

As a result of the reflections during this conference, a guiding document will be developed to form the inner life in our institutions. We will call this living document “Contemplation in everyday life and school reality."

The pre-conference work we ask of our participants is to answer the following questions with their respective teams.

1.      What aspects of today's youth actually affect (positively or negatively) the spiritual development of our students?

2.      What strategies or actions (with favorable results) have been made for spiritual formation and interiority in our schools? How was/is success documented?

We ask Sophie to accompany this great family of the Sacred Heart in the quest to be faithful to the Spirit before, during and following this international gathering.

Best regards,
Martha Najera
Director General Sacred Heart College, Mexico DF
Coordinator of the Mexico Conference 2015

Patricia Silva
Assistant Director General and the Mexico Conference 2015

Gabriela Rodriguez
Coordinator, Management Team-Formal Education Network, Mexico

Click below to download registration files, schedule and other information.

Introduction Letter from Planning Committee
Registration Form
Tentative Daily Schedule
Theoretical Support for the Conference
Post-conference Tour

 May 20, 2015

Dear Sacred Heart Community:

      For several weeks, a Search Committee has been engaged in the work of finding a qualified person to serve as our new Head of Schools. As part of that process, the Search Committee has interviewed qualified candidates and discussed candidly over the course of several meetings their suitability for our school. With unanimous enthusiasm, the Search Committee recommended to the Board of Trustees their choice, and I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Michael F. Baber as Interim Head of Schools of the Sacred Heart for the 2015-2016 academic year. Mr. Baber will be with us the week of May 25 and then will return to Grand Coteau in early July to begin work in his new position.

Mr. Baber has devoted his entire professional career to Sacred Heart education and has distinguished himself as a successful leader in mission formation, curriculum, strategic planning, and advancement. Mr. Baber has vast professional and personal experience in Catholic, independent, Sacred Heart, single-gender education. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Catholic institutions, and he has served in various capacities at Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Connecticut, since 2000. Additionally, his wife is an alumna of Convent of the Sacred Heart. He has served on numerous committees throughout the Network, most notably on the Sacred Heart Commission on Goals (SHCOG) Commission from 2007-2013. Because of his profound love and understanding of Sacred Heart, I am confident that Mr. Baber will make all decisions with a focus on Mission.

In addition to possessing the training, experience, and expertise the school needs to advance its mission, Mr. Baber also has the energy and passion the Head of School needs to address the challenges that face us as we grow and improve our boys’ and girls’ schools. As Assistant Head of School at Convent of the Sacred Heart since 2003 and as an Edward E. Ford Fellow, Mr. Baber brings to us his knowledge and experience in the best practices of independent schools. He has already spent a day on our campus instructing seventh and eighth grade teachers on the best practices for addressing the social, emotional, and academic needs of students in grades 5-8, and he has a record of success for implementing effective, coordinated curriculum that engages faculty in best pedagogical practices to teach students of various learning styles. In addition to coordinating academic curriculum, Mr. Baber also serves as Director of Advancement at Convent of the Sacred Heart, and I am confident that his efforts will be as successful in Grand Coteau as they have been in Greenwich because Mr. Baber has the interpersonal skills necessary to encourage community support of the school’s mission. 

Because the leadership of the school understood the need for unity in this transition process, the Search Committee was intentionally comprised of ten members representing every adult constituency of the school community. The Committee included two Religious of the Sacred Heart; two Trustees who are parents of girls at Academy of the Sacred Heart (the Academy); two alumnae who are parents of boys at Berchmans Academy (Berchmans); a Lower School administrator and parent at the Academy; a Berchmans Lower School administrator, Academy alumna, and former Academy parent; an Upper School faculty member at the Academy; and a director of the business office. The Committee recommended Mr. Baber without reservation and with great excitement for the position of Interim Head of Schools, and their unified voice bolsters the Board’s confidence that Mr. Baber is the right person to lead our community into a new and exciting future of growth that is infused with the wisdom and passion of St. Madeline Sophie Barat.

      The Search Committee was unanimously impressed with Mr. Baber’s style of assured yet humble leadership, and I believe that his willingness to listen combined with his ability to inspire all constituents of the Sacred Heart community will enable us to continue united in our mission to provide the best education to the students entrusted to us. Although times of transition always bring with them a sense of uncertainty and anxiety, I am fully confident that Mr. Michael Baber has the ability and the spirit not only to make that transition a smooth one for us but also to use it as an opportunity to renew us in our love for Sacred Heart education and in our commitment to upholding its noblest ideals.

Sincerely,

Chris Rader, Board Chair

Sacred Heart Schools select Loyola Jesuits for Annual Award

December 18, 2015

Sacred Heart Schools on Sheridan Road (Chicago, IL) has selected the Jesuit Community of Loyola University Chicago for the 13th annual Goal Award, the Schools’ highest honor. The Goal Award honors the Jesuits’ dedication to the spiritual life of Sacred Heart, which spans more than a century. “By guiding our students through their milestone years and personal journeys in faith, by providing counsel to our administration, faculty, staff and Board, and in many other ways, the Loyola Jesuits help Sacred Heart live out our mission to make the love of God visible in the world,” said Nat Wilburn, Head of Sacred Heart Schools.

The Loyola Jesuits have a regular presence on Sacred Heart’s campus, serving as celebrants for school masses and helping prepare 2nd graders for First Communion and 7th graders for Confirmation. They invite the Sacred Heart community to take part in their prayer services and to make free use of the Madonna della Strada chapel, and have helped establish fruitful connections with Loyola’s Jewish and Muslim student organizations.

Fr. James Prehn, SJ, accepts the Sacred Heart Goal Award from Nat Wilburn, Head of Schools.

Fr. James Prehn, SJ, Rector of Loyola’s Jesuit Community accepted the Goal Award at St. Gertrude Church during Gaudete Mass, the joyful observance of the third week of Advent, which the Schools traditionally celebrate on the last day before Christmas break.

Fr. Justin Daffron, SJ, Loyola’s Vice President for Advancement and a member of Sacred Heart’s Board of Trustees, spoke about the relationship between the Jesuits and the Religious of the Sacred Heart, the founders of Sacred Heart education. “At the core of the relationship between LUC Jesuits and Sacred Heart Schools is an active spirituality that seeks God in all things,” said Daffron. “Every time I walk on the Sacred Heart campus, I am amazed by the vibrant school community. Teachers, students and parents are all committed to the same mission, and it is clear that they take their inspiration from the Religious of the Sacred Heart who have dedicated their lives to service and education.”

About the Sacred Heart Goal Award
The Goal Award is named for the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Education, the foundational principles shared by the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the U.S. and Canada, a consortium of 24 schools. The Goals anchor Sacred Heart as a faith-centered institution committed to social action, academic rigor, inclusivity and other core values.

The Sacred Heart Schools Goal Award Committee selected the Loyola Jesuits from a field of nominees submitted by parents, faculty, staff and trustees. The committee included representatives of those constituencies as well as alumni and students. The 12 previous honorees have included neighborhood social-service agencies such as the Howard Area Community Center and Care for Real, as well as individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and service to the community.

About Sacred Heart Schools
Founded in 1876 as the Academy of the Sacred Heart for Girls, and in 1935 adding Hardey Preparatory for Boys, Sacred Heart Schools are independent, Catholic elementary schools that serve 700 children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Rooted in the history and traditions of the Society of the Sacred Heart, the schools are committed to academic excellence in a diverse and inclusive Christian community.

Contact
Sam Sinkhorn, Communications Director
Sacred Heart Schools
6250 N. Sheridan Rd, Chicago IL 60660

773-681-8425  
sam.sinkhorn@shschicago.org

GREENWICH DAILY VOICE_1/18/2016:

Greenwich Students Praise Life, Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr.

by Jay Polansky

GREENWICH, Conn. — Students and teachers at Greenwich’s Convent of the Sacred Heart celebrated the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with song and prayer Friday morning.

The event featured spirited performances by the Gospel Knights singers and the Vision Steppers dance troupe. It also included powerful prayers and remarks by Barbara Dawson, the Society of the Sacred Heart’s Provincial of the United States and Canada.

Dawson praised King, calling him one “our 20th-century prophets.” She said prophets — such as King — often emerge when things are not going well and people are not getting along with each other.

King emerged at a time when Americans of different races could not sit at the same restaurants, occupy the same seats on a bus or live in the same neighborhood, Dawson said.

“He was a prophet,” she said of King. “He saw something wrong and said, ‘We’ve got to do something about this.’”

On the federal holiday marking his birth, many remember King for his “I Have a Dream” speech, which he delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963. King, a pastor and activist, was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tenn.

Each year, Sacred Heart Greenwich holds a service to commemorate his life. “He was someone who had a vision on how our country and how our world could be a better place,” Dawson said at Friday’s event.

Speaking to the students, Dawson said King and other prophets were at one time “young people just like you.” She encouraged them to pause and think about a dream they had for their community, neighbors or family.

Dawson said her personal dream for the future is that all children would experience a great education like the one she had at a Sacred Heart school when she was growing up. To that end, Sacred Heart Greenwich helped provide desks to a school in Africa -- among its many philanthropic programs.

Sacred Heart Greenwich, which is located on King Street in the northwest corner of town, has an enrollment of 740 girls from kindergarten through 12th grade. It is one of 22 schools in the network of Sacred Heart schools in the U.S. and Canada.

http://greenwich.dailyvoice.com/schools/greenwich-students-praise-life-legacy-of-martin-luther-king-jr/618362/ 

AASH Conference

The 2017 AASH Conference will be held in San Francisco, California, 
at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 
April 27-30, 2017.

Mark your calendars!

If you are interested in underwriting any portion of the event, please contact jennifergotti@msn.com.