Superior General Kathleen Conan, RSCJ, conferred a group name and devise (motto) for nine women preparing to profess their final vows as Religious of the Sacred Heart.

The general instructions for finding and getting to the Mater fresco are as follows:
The Trinità dei Monti (Piazza della Trinità dei Monti, 3) , where the fresco is located, is at the top of the so-called "Spanish Stairs" off the Piazza di Spagna. You can either climb the stairs or take the elevator to the top. (The elevator is located inside the entrance to the Metro in the little side street to the left as you face the stairs. The general instructions for finding and getting to the Mater fresco are as follows: Go in the door on the right as you enter the Metro station and it leads to the elevator.)

In 1828, Pope Leo XII invited the Society of the Sacred Heart to found a community and school at the Trinità dei Monti, a monastery at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome. For 300 years, the monastery had housed a community of Minims, an order founded by St. Francis of Paola in the 15^th century. The Order of Minims had abandoned the property during the French Revolution, and by 1828 the buildings were in need of repair.

Dear members of the Sacred Heart family, Today I want to share with you some decisions we have made for the Society of the Sacred Heart in the United States.  These decisions address the urgent financial needs of the Province which were identified nearly two years ago through an actuarial study and I believe they will ensure the ongoing vitality of the Society’s mission and ministries in the United States for years to come.  In the past year, with the help of consultants, we have studied ways of providing for our members’ health care services, especially for those who are retired.

Pope John Paul II will be remembered by historians as one of the great leaders in the history of the Church and the world. Through years of political and religious turmoil that marked his papacy in many parts of the world, he remained steadfast in his promotion of human dignity and human rights. We can never forget his constant reminders of God’s love for the weak and poor, his opposition to violence, including the violence of war in Iraq and the violence inflicted on those convicted of capital crimes, his love of young people and theirs of him, and his tireless efforts on behalf of peace.

Christian faith, in its beginnings, as we have just seen in the Easter Scriptures, was not ever meant to be a private affair. Jesus, just risen, appeared to Mary Magdalen in the garden and after calling her by name said, “Do not cling to me, but go and tell my brothers [and sisters] . . . !” Similarly, after the Transfiguration we see Jesus correcting Peter whose instinct was to stay there in that holy place and erect three tents. Jesus message again was “Go!” as he led the three disciples back down the mountain to reconnect with the real life of the community. God’s Word is to be made known, proclaimed, spread. It is not to be guarded as a private treasure by a small “in-group.”

These reflections by Heads of Schools and RSCJ present their understandings and efforts to integrate insights from their reading of the document that came from the Society's General Chapter 2000 . They are shared as a contribution to the process of updating "The Goals and Criteria for Sacred Heart Schools" currently underway. The meeting was held in Omaha, Nebraska, in October.

I write this reflection on January 17, the day set aside to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King. Many of us are reflecting on what his life and death mean for us in 2005. Dr. King spent his life trying to bring people together in peace and in the common ground of understanding. This quest of Dr. King's became a lens for me as I reflected on recent events in our world.