The traveling prayer flags
Sophomores Corina Gonzalez, Riley Doyle and Lilly Morriss reach to touch the flags and say a prayer as they walk through the Upper School hallway. Courtesy of Mrs. Lori Wilson
Courtesy of Mrs. Lori Wilson
An array of colors and symbols representing peace and harmony stretches above the entrance to the Convent of the Sacred Heart Upper School. This year, Sacred Heart is participating in a network-wide project to celebrate Janet Erskine Stuart, Religious of the Sacred Heart. The idea is that students will touch the flag and say a prayer as they pass by it in the hallway.
Janet Erskine Stuart spent 30 years of her religious life at Sacred Heart, Roehampton, outside of London. She was elected the sixth superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart. She set a goal to personally learn about the lives of all the religious and visited every community in the Society throughout the world.
Each of the 22 Sacred Heart schools in the United States has agreed to paint a prayer flag to honor Janet Erskine Stuart. Traveling to Convent of the Sacred Heart and Stuart Hall, two schools in the San Francisco network, the vibrant squares mark the start of a prayer service Monday, October 21 that will launch a year of celebration for Janet Erskine Stuart.
“I think the prayer flags are an inspiring project that Sacred Heart has taken on, I love the beautiful colors that they have,” sophomore Katherine Siciliano said.
Sacred Heart has created ten flags, one for each constituency in the school. There is one flag for Upper School students, Middle School students, Lower School students, parents, alumnae, trustees, Religious of the Sacred Heart, faculty, staff and administration.
“I love this prayer flag project because Janet Erskine Stuart knew a lot about girl’s education and was a global traveler and this project is helping us connect with other Sacred Heart schools in our network,” Mrs. Lori Wilson, Director of Campus Ministry, Upper School Community Service and Summer Enrichment said.
After the prayer service, the flags will travel to 22 schools of the United States Sacred Heart network. Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich will receive another school’s flags in November and will display them during Advent.
– Katie Nail, Staff Writer
