The 2020-21 year has been filled with challenges that have taken us all by surprise. In the past decades, others have also seen our world's tragedies in their lifetime and have overcome them by using qualities such as courage and confidence, qualities we find ourselves in need of today. Courage and confidence are qualities that also require strength. To have courage and confidence in not just yourself but your actions as well is an example of this strength. When St. Madeleine Sophie Barat began the Society of the Sacred Heart, she needed to have an enormous amount of confidence in what she was starting because she knew that it would require many risks, sacrifices, and even the rest of her life. When St. Rose Philippine Duchesne first brought the Society of the Sacred Heart to America, she needed to also have a large amount of confidence in her bold decision, for just like Madeleine she was also risking so much, including not even being able to see her homeland ever again!
Today, we find our world facing many similar challenges that St. Philippine and St. Madeleine lived through. They both have accomplished and done so much for our world, and I believe that the Society of the Sacred Heart greatly proves and reflects on their accomplishments. When Madeleine and Philippine were still establishing and working in the Sacred Heart Society, they didn’t just have Faith in God, but also had Faith in themselves. If they didn’t, then I am positive that today the Society of the Sacred Heart would be very different or maybe not even exist! True, they didn’t always have the courage and confidence they required. In truth, Philippine had a large sense of self doubt and often considered herself a failure, yet many other people both today and in her time praise her for her hard work and accomplishments. St. Madeleine most certainly also faced self doubt and discrimination very often when establishing the Society of the Sacred Heart. Yet it was also St. Madeleine who said: “Courage and confidence! I cannot repeat this war-cry too often. We should make it our support in our life of conflict.” We must also be courageous and confident so we can move forward with our lives and surpass this pandemic.
When St. Madeleine and St. Philippine were creating the Society of the Sacred Heart, they did not only create the society so they could just help their own time, they created it so their dreams can be fulfilled in our present time. They have inspired me and many other Sacred Heart students to work hard and to make their hard work pay off. They have also inspired me to have courage and confidence so I can follow the path God has given me and accomplish my dreams with my head held high. God willing, I believe that if we as a society can have strength, gratitude, hope, courage, and confidence, then we all can follow God's path for us and gain a brighter future.