This week, the Network of Sacred Heart Schools hosted an International Educators Symposium, “Seeking Truth & Understanding Humanity,” in New Orleans. Faculty members, Megan (McGraugh ’78) Horner and Tammy Strother, along with Lisa Tebbe ’80, Director of Marketing and Communications, and Tim Horner, Head of School, were honored to attend this gathering of nearly 250 teachers, academic administrators, support staff, and mission partners to learn, collaborate, and celebrate the transformative work happening in our Sacred Heart schools. Mrs. Horner and Mrs. Strother reflect on this energizing experience.
What a gift it was to attend the Sacred Heart Educators Symposium! It is hard to put into words the feelings we experienced. Old relationships were rekindled, and new friendships formed with colleagues across the country. We often refer to the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, but having the opportunity to spend days working, learning, and collaborating with exceptional educators who are dedicated to this shared mission was such a blessing. It was truly a dynamic expression of our Sacred Heart spirit.
Our days were filled with experiences that stretched our minds, inspired our souls, and filled our hearts. We were awed by amazing keynote speakers, including a few who did not have a direct connection to our schools but recognized that a Sacred Heart education rooted in the Goals and Criteria is the answer to so many of the needs of our world today. Our final keynote speaker, Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ, Provincial of the Society of the Sacred Heart, US-Canada, spoke passionately of the philosophy of Sacred Heart education, as beautifully articulated in Sophie’s Gift: Our Call to the Future.
We believe that education is inherent to the process of humanization and, therefore, is at the heart of our mission to discover and reveal the Love of the Heart of Jesus.
This symposium gave us the chance to remind ourselves of the bigger picture and global community of the Sacred Heart. How humbling it was to hear the RSCJ thank all of us and our schools for extending into the world the mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart, to discover and reveal the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We even felt that we were walking in Philippine’s footsteps as we visited the Ursuline Convent where Philippine stayed when she first arrived in America.
We are so grateful to have been a part of this extraordinary opportunity that focused on how Sacred Heart education inspires minds, shapes hearts, and brings joy. Our hearts are full.
