We participate in the mission of the Church
through the service of education
which is our way of continuing the work of Christ.
This service of education and instruction is directed
chiefly towards the young
and those who bear within them the future of the world...

When the Society was founded in 1800, in the aftermath of the French Revolution, there was a great need for education – of hearts as well as minds. Over the years and throughout the world RSCJ have met this need, by running schools and colleges, training teachers and supporting women in how they live their faith.

More than two hundred years on the pain in our world and the urgency of its many needs continually call us to respond with creativity, vision and generous love. There is still a great need for education - of adults as well as children, hearts as well as minds. So we are still educators, but our understanding of the word “education” has expanded and grown, to embrace many forms of service, all aimed at the loving support, growth and development of those with and for whom we work. We do not do any of this alone: our colleagues in our schools and college, in particular, play an important part in continuing Sophie's educational vision and our mission, and we, through our Network, provide the support and personal formation they need for this.

…Caught up as we are in the desires of His Heart,
we want people to grow in dignity, as human beings
and as children of God
Our starting point is the Gospel
with all that it demands from us of love, forgiveness
and justice,
and of solidarity with those who are poor
and rejected by the world.
(Constitutions, para 7)

RSCJ in England-Wales work in a variety of settings. Some are in formal education, in schools and colleges, while others teach English to refugees and migrants or work with other adult learners. Some of us work with refugees, trafficked women, homeless people and others who are marginalised; other sisters work with families, young adults, teachers and church ministers. We work in chaplaincies, retreat centres and parishes; in youth work, health care, social outreach, Fair Trade and counselling – in many ministries in many places, but all done with the heart of an educator, and the desire to live these words from our Constitutions… 

Wherever we are sent,
whatever our work may be,
our lives will be inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus
and the desire of making Him known, expressed in:

• a concern for the growth of the whole person
  
  
• a thirst for working towards justice and peace in the
  world in response to the cry of the poor
  
  
• a passion to proclaim the Gospel.

The development of the Society's educational mission and its values:  General Chapters 1967-2008

The following pages give some idea of the different areas in which we work, and the spirit which underpins everything we do


Our commitment to JPIC

Spirituality and accompaniment

Ministry to young adults

Discovering and making known

Schools Network – for information about Sacred Heart education in this country and abroad