The identity of a Sacred Heart School is “both rich in opportunity and complex in challenge.” The responsibility to ensure Catholic iden- tity belongs to the leadership of the Society of the Sacred Heart United States-Canada Province, to the board of trustees, and to the diocese. Sacred Heart Greenwich is responsible to the provincial for carrying out the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart education including the Foundational Principles, and to the diocesan bishop for maintaining communion with the Church. Sacred Heart Greenwich is defined by its three-dimensional nature: Catholic, Independent, and Sacred Heart.
As a Catholic school, we nurture a personal and active faith in God in each of our students and instill hope as an intelligent reliance on the fidelity of the Holy Spirit. With the conviction that God is in all things, we embrace the root meaning of the word catholicity, inclusive of everyone, and we affirm the dignity of every human being as created in God’s image. We draw our inspiration from Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, using the Gospel as a source of wisdom. Sacred Heart education is steeped in Catholic intellectual tradition and employs Catholic social teachings, through which students evaluate current ethical issues and develop a global heart. Sacred Heart Greenwich students, staff, and educators are called to embody the attitudes of Christ’s Heart, such as respect, compassion, forgiveness, and generosity, and to become
informed agents of change in an interdependent world. Rooted in the intellectual dimension of the Catholic Church, Sacred Heart Greenwich professes that life has meaning and purpose, and that faith and reason are complementary in the search for truth. We maintain the existence of a moral right and wrong, focusing the formation of our students on becoming persons of integrity. Placing Christ at the center of all relation- ships, Sacred Heart is a community intentionally fueled by the values of trust and mutual respect.
As an Independent school, we are organized as a religiously affili- ated not-for-profit and governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. We are free to design curriculum, regulate admission, determine tuition levels, and raise money. We are not directed by the government (public schools) or by the diocese (parochial schools), or by for-profit entities (proprietary schools). Sacred Heart Greenwich is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and meets the level of excellence as defined by this accrediting body in accordance with our specific mission. Our independence is informed by our mission as educators who define Catholic education in light of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat’s charism and the spirit of the Society of the Sacred Heart. The board of trustees and the administration are stewards in a relationship of mutual respect that deepens the essential mission of Sacred Heart edu-
cation. While our mission and fundamental aspects of culture are derived from a shared three-dimensional identity, Sacred Heart Greenwich and its board of trustees work in partnership to ensure continuity of vision and mission in the best educational climate for today’s students and the sustainability of the school for future generations.
As a Sacred Heart school, we advance the vision of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat of education as the primary means to discover and reveal the love of the Heart of Jesus. Our mission is articulated in the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools, and the board members, administrators, staff, and teachers work in concert with the Society of the Sacred Heart to ensure mission integrity. The Sacred Heart Way strengthens habits of heart and mind focused on decision-making. Students are encouraged to pause, to reflect, to discern, to decide, and to act. Our approach to edu- cation fosters the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of our students, engaging them in challenging experiences that inspire intellectual curiosity and set them on a path towards transformation and hope. We model and practice contemplative prayer and silence in the presence of the Divine, and we cultivate open inquiry, critical thinking, and life-long love of learning. The intellectual dimension of a Sacred Heart education inspires us to seek truth, to foster goodness, to celebrate beauty, and to embrace mystery.
