In prayer we come to Him with everything that touches our life,
with the sufferings and hopes of humanity.
(Constitutions, 20)
As apostolic contemplatives, Religious of the Sacred Heart root our lives in prayer. With a mission to discover and reveal the love of God, our spirituality and our mission are based in love. Our contemplative outlook is part of who we are, whether in prayer, in ministry or in our daily lives.
"The contemplative outlook on the world has been a call to be authentic apostles of Christ's love, to help bring to birth a more welcoming world, to make known a God who is great, bountiful and tender. It is a call to educate in such a way that God's plan, God's glory, may become a reality, so that all may grow as brothers and sisters in the inward freedom of the children of God, and have fullness of life." (Superior General Concepcion Camacho, RSCJ)
The pierced Heart of Jesus opens our being to the depths of God and to the anguish of humankind.
(Constitutions, 8)
On these pages, we will share prayers, poems, reflections and artwork that reflect the spirituality of the Society of the Sacred Heart. We hope you will return here periodically for resources appropriate to the liturgical season and our Sacred Heart traditions.
When I made final vows as a Religious of the Sacred Heart, I received my grandfather's wedding ring as the symbol of my religious profession. Bill Mailand died before I was born. He was a great friend of the Mayo Brothers who founded the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. A farm kid who couldn't wait to get off the Minnesota farm, he became a bank president...
Prayer in FaithFrom Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ
The Shepherds ... They came, they found the Infant and His Mother in poverty greater even than their own. They understood all they were capable of understanding. Their faith was simple, but entire. They adored in the Child, their Saviour, Christ, the Messiah, and departed to their homes joyously, contentedly, spreading everywhere the glorious tidings.
Your nearness crackles,Love, and I sing for wantof a way to containcertain joyswishing her capeat the awe of it all.
Kimberly M. King, rscj
Birth and life...neither is a muted affair.
The effort to quietor contain themwould snatch at starlightand whisper away the edgeof awe's flame,leaving mystery to sputter.
Kimberly M. King, RSCJ
Sister Kim King shares a new poem for the second week of Advent.
Sister Kim King has, for the past several years, written a poem each week during Advent. We are delighted to be able to share them with you here. You can also find them on her blog, Consider the Lilies.
To children of the Sacred Heart, Mater Admirabilis, by Pauline Perdrau, RSCJ, is one of the most-loved images of Our Lady. And the celebration of the Feast of Mater Admirabilis (October 20) is certainly one of the most-loved traditions in Sacred Heart schools around the world. To extend this happy celebration, Sister Helen Rosenthal has taken on a labor love by soliciting and choosing a brief reflection and image of Mater for each day during the month of October.
Today, August 29, is the birthday of St. Philippine Duchesne.
Anna Mae Marheineke, RSCJ, was a talented and much-loved educator, who touched countless lives in her long ministry of education. She was also a talented poet. A collection of her poetry was published by the alumni association of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, St. Charles. Below are two of the poems included in the booklet, both dedicated to the students she loved so much and so well.
(From a letter written by Helen McLaughlin, RSCJ, Former Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart, to the communities of the Society of the Sacred Heart)
I feel it is important for each one of us to take up Philippine’s life and to reflect on her message. She has surprised us now by stirring the surface of our immediate consciousness with extraordinary energy! What is she trying to communicate to us today? Who is she for us:
