Today we sum up the philosophy of education of the Society of the Sacred Heart in five Goals of Sacred Heart Education. They are accompanied by a series of criteria by which we can evaluate how well the Goals of Sacred Heart Education are being addressed.
Goals of Sacred Heart Education
We can trace the origins of the Goals of Sacred Heart Education back to the founding vision of St Madeleine Sophie Barat. She wanted to form pupils to adore the Heart of Jesus and thus become a transforming influence in society. Each Sacred Heart school, or other educational ministry, remains a unique response to the educational needs of its context. Nonetheless, all are guided by the same philosophy of Sacred Heart education.
Goals and criteria for Sacred Heart schools were first articulated in the USA in the 1970s. This work influenced educational efforts by the Society in other parts of the world, including our Province.
The five Goals of Sacred Heart Education adopted by the Australia New Zealand Province are:
Faith
A personal and active faith in God.
Intellect
Deep respect for intellectual values.
Community
Building community as a Christian value.
Action
Social awareness that impels to action.
Growth
Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
Focus Goal
Every year each school of our Province chooses one of these five Goals of Sacred Heart Education as its ‘focus goal’ for the year. While the goals are interrelated and all of them are addressed every year, a special effort is made in relation to the focus goal. It is expected that over a five year period each school will have focused on each of the Goals of Sacred Heart Education.