The freshmen connected with Sacred Heart Greenwich’s roots during the Coeur Connections program October 11.  Students, teachers, and Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) from Network schools across the country shared their distinctive experiences, traditions, and insights at Coeur Connections.  Seniors Avery Kim and Madeleine Hooper designed and led this program for the freshmen after representing Sacred Heart at the “Living Our Mission” conference in November 2022.  The conference inspired Avery and Madeleine to introduce this program on King Street.  During Coeur Connections, freshmen learned about their school’s heritage and how it pertains to their daily activities, while also learning about other Network schools’ practices and incorporating them into their understanding of a Sacred Heart education.

The Class of 2027 participated in activities that centered around ideas that were pertinent to the “Living Our Mission” conference.  To begin, Avery and Madeleine introduced Coeur Connections to the freshmen, sharing personal reflections on the Sacred Heart mission.  Then, the students gathered in the theater, and Mr. Vincent Badagliacca, Upper School History Teacher and History Department Chair, presented about Sacred Heart history, contextualizing the founding work of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat and Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne in France and North America.  The freshmen sang Sacred Heart songs, heard from an RSCJ panel, and afterwards proceeded outside to journal.  To finish the day, the class participated in a Zoom discussion with students across the national Network and attended a closing chapel.

Madeleine and Avery initiated Coeur Connections to teach the freshmen about the importance of the Sacred Heart community.  Avery spoke about her motivation to design Coeur Connections.

“After the Network conference, I returned to our campus in Greenwich with such awe and honor to be a Sacred Heart student, but I noticed that the gravity and history of our education was not widely realized by the student body,” Avery said.  “This observation, in short, is what inspired me to help initiate Coeur Connections in the Upper School.”

“Living Our Mission” is a conference that invites students, educators, and RSCJ from Sacred Heart Network schools across the country to share their experiences and practices.  Madeleine and Avery attended this conference at the Pallottine Renewal Center in Florissant, Missouri in November 2022.  At the conference, they learned from Sister Suzanne Cooke, the RSCJ Provincial for the United States and Canada, about St. Madeleine Sophie’s past and enduring mission.  The students also formed connections with Sister Sharon Karam, Sister Reyna González, and Sister Diane Roche.

Mrs. Maureen Considine, Director of Upper School Campus Ministry and Sacristan, helped orchestrate Coeur Connections.  She spoke about the sentiment that lies at the center of the Sacred Heart community: the profound influence of diverse experiences from different schools that intertwine and strengthen the Network’s collective bond.

“I think that we learn from each other,” Mrs. Considine said.  “And even though our experiences are different in our different schools, we are united as children of the Sacred Heart.”

This year, Sacred Heart Greenwich celebrates its 175th anniversary.  In 1804, three years after founding the first Sacred Heart school in Amiens, France, St. Madeleine Sophie met St. Rose Philippine, a French religious educator and nun.  In 1818, St. Rose Philippine arrived in North America and continued to establish Sacred Heart schools.  In 1848, Mother Mary Aloysia Hardey, a former student at one of those schools, established Sacred Heart Greenwich, which is the third oldest Network school in the United States.

Avery explained her and Madeleine’s decision to name the inaugural program Coeur Connections.  She spoke about the strength of the Sacred Heart community.

“Sacred Heart emphasizes personal connections between students, educators, alumnae, and RSCJ,” Avery said.  “It is because of these relationships that Maddie and I chose to name this program Coeur Connections.”

The event closed with a reflection from alumna Mrs. Kristina Hooper ’88 and a prayer service to wrap up the day’s activities, where students had the time to contemplate what they learned and experienced during Coeur Connections.  Avery shared her reflection on the program.

“I hope that Coeur Connections leaves my peers with the impression that, as Sacred Heart girls, we are a part of something greater,” Avery said.  “Our connections to Sacred Heart go beyond classes and homework assignments, stretching across oceans of space and centuries of time.”

Featured Image by Sofia Latrille ’25