Faith & Service
Sacred Heart schools, affirming their place in the Roman Catholic tradition, have always welcomed students and faculty of all faiths. In a world where sensitivity to religious differences enables people of good will to live in peace, the religious education of the Sacred Heart schools fosters an open-mindedness, a love of Jesus, and a reverence for difference. Motivated by the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools, our community invites personal reflection and a commitment to social justice through service.
Sacred Heart Heritage
Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart, was born in Joigny, France in 1779. Twenty one years later, she founded the Society of The Sacred Heart. She recognized that in the midst of change only one reality remains constant: that each person is loved by God. It was her dream that schools be founded throughout the world that would ground girls in that certainty and provide them with a rigorous program of studies. In 1818, under her direction, the Religious of the Sacred Heart went to America to establish schools. She was canonized in 1925. Her feast day is celebrated on May 25.
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne was among the Religious who brought the society to the United States. She established the first school in St. Charles, Missouri. She was beatified in 1940 and canonized in 1988. Her feast is celebrated on November 18.