XV AMASC World Congress 6-9 November 2014
Greeting from Kathleen Conan rscj to the AMASC World Congress
Video message prepared for 7 November 2014
Good Morning!
I am very happy to be able to be present to you from Rome where we are following with interest the AMASC congress. I bring you the greetings of the 2200 Religious of the Sacred Heart across 42 countries of our world.
In visiting our provinces during the past six years, I and the other members of the General Council have had the opportunity to meet some of you and to hear of the ways you continue to live the values of Sacred Heart education. Your commitments in your personal lives and through the social outreach projects of your alumnae associations are testimony to the dream of Madeleine Sophie. She saw that the graduates of Sacred Heart schools would themselves become witnesses of God’s love in their local context of family or society, always with the intention, vision and courage to transform our global society into that of God’s heart.
As you know, since the changes of Vatican II, the religious of the Sacred Heart are living our mission and service of education in ways both formal and informal, in work for human development and social justice, in pastoral and spiritual ministries; we do all of this in institutions of our own and in collaboration with others.
As I was preparing what I might share with you, I found myself remembering various Sacred Heart schools, which, since the last AMASC congress in Malta, have been celebrating their golden jubilee.
These are schools, which were founded in the early 1960’s, grew up in the midst of great change in global society, in the church or in the politics of their country, and are now celebrating 50 years of Sacred Heart education.
Some of these are in the United States, in Sapporo Japan, in Taiwan.
Others are in Ndjamena, Tchad, where the Society responded to the need for education following the country’s independence; in Barranquilla Colombia where we joined efforts with a Catholic social institute on the Caribbean coast;
or in Haregaon, India, where we responded to an invitation from the Jesuits to serve a rural area of India, and where Jyoti Gajbhiv, a graduate of the school, is now an RSCJ and the Headmistress.
As we celebrate these golden jubilees, we are most grateful that in each of these schools, and in so many of our educational projects, alumnae too are part of the adult community sharing Sacred Heart values with the next generation! We thank you for your generous commitment!
On behalf of the General Council I want to thank Pam Snyder and the AMASC board for their service during the past four years. In choosing the theme for their mandate: Listening with One Heart, they have strengthened among the alumnae/i and with the Society the cor unum which was so cherished by Madeleine Sophie. They have also called us all to listen with one heart to the heart of Jesus, and to respond with His compassion and generous love to the cries of our world for justice, reconciliation and peace.
In a particular way in this Congress you are listening to the calls of our earth and our universe. This too is an experience of “one heart”, as just last month we announced that the Society’s international focus for the next two years for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation is the topic of climate change. The Spirit is indeed at work calling us into living with attentive minds, open hearts and faithful courage for the sake of the future. Together may we continue to listen – and respond – with One Heart.
Be assured of our prayer for each of you and for your work these days. Thank you
