Convent of the Sacred Heart Schools in the United States and Canada participated in the live presentation of the prayer flags October 21, 2013. The ceremonial presentation of the flags was in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Janet Erskine Stuart, Religious of the Sacred Heart. 2013 marks the start of a new year in which her life and mission will be celebrated throughout the international Sacred Heart Community.
The Sacred Heart Greenwich Upper, Middle and Lower School all gathered in the gym to view the live feed as members of the Sacred Heart Society in San Francisco described the prayer flags. Stuart Hall High School, Stuart Hall School for Boys, and Convent of the Sacred Heart students gathered in their Herbert Center Gym to participate in the ceremony.
Stuart Hall students carried the flags through the gym as Sacred Heart schools around the world watched to see their respective flag. The student council presidents of both Stuart Hall schools listed the names of each Sacred Heart school that contributed.

The Sacred Heart Greenwich community erupted into cheers and applause as their prayer flag waved through the San Francisco school.
“I felt like the flags really connected us with the other Sacred Heart schools. I felt a bond between our sisters all over the country,” Convent of the Sacred Heart Greenwich junior Kate Burkett said.
Following the presentation of the flags, several special guests offered blessings of the flags for the international community. Michael Pappas, Executive Direct of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, Sister Sukanya Belsare of the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center, Religious of the Sacred Heart Anne Wachter, the Headmistress of the Sacred Heart School of Halifax, and Swami Vedananda of the Vendata Society in San Francisco offered their prayers as they stood around the flags.
The life and legacy of Janet Erskine Stuart was celebrated through prayer and song. While watching the ceremony via webcast, Greenwich students prayed and sang along with the San Francisco school by reading the lyrics and words on the screen.
“When we were all singing, I could really feel a great religious connection between all the four schools that became a special anthem,” Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco,  junior Sarah Selzer said. “Sacred Heart schools around the nation watching us sing gave me great pride knowing that our school was the one to launch this ceremony.”
Through the presentations of the flags, appreciation of Janet Erskine Stuart and the traditional Sacred Heart songs and celebrations, the international Sacred Heart schools came together as one.
“I think our school network makes us really special and creates a unique environment with endless opportunities to experience different cultures,” Convent of the Sacred Heart High School, San Francisco senior Sophia Kelley said.
To see the official website of the prayer flags, click here: http://jesprayerflags.weebly.com
 
– Sarah Jackmauh, Co-Features Editor
 
http://jesprayerflags.weebly.com/school-prayer-flags.html
http://www.sacredsf.org/news/detail.aspx?pageaction=ViewSinglePublic&LinkID=25282&ModuleID=309&&NEWSPID=1
http://www.cshgreenwich.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=682918&sdb=1&bl=/default.aspx