Thoughts of a reflective practitioner: Melanie A. Guste, RSCJ

Academy of the Sacred Heart

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“I don’t really have any roots…,” a young woman recently shared with me while visiting the school. Listening quietly, I suspected that rather than having “no roots,” she was on an archetypal journey to find them. Does it surprise you that she has found her way to New Orleans? For us who live under the canopies of Live Oaks, whose tap roots extend both deep and wide, we value our roots as a source of identity and insight, character and culture.

Looking deeply into our roots as a Sacred Heart school community, we discover that on this day, February 7th in 1818, St. Philippine Duchesne received her commission to North America from foundress St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. Historian, Louise Callen, RSCJ tells us that on the next day, the five Religious of the Sacred Heart set out from Paris on their arduous missionary journey to bring “the love of the heart of Jesus” to the new frontiers of the Louisiana territory. Five weeks later, on Holy Saturday, March 21th, they would navigate the last channel of the Garonne River to set sail on the Rebecca for the port of New Orleans.

If one probes this story critically, we realize that Philippine and her companions are embarking on the first part of their journey at the very beginning of Lent.

To me, this is an interesting revelation which inspires a reflection on the journey of Lent for each one of us. We could ask, “Towards what do we set sail this Lent?” “What journey are we making in Lent?” “To what is God commissioning us?” To whom or what are we willing to give our lives?” “What shores do we need to leave to live an authentic Christian life?” “What are our new frontiers?”

As Headmistress, I can ask of our school similar questions, knowing that to thrive, prosper and grow as a school community, we must make an inward journey toward the deep roots of our identity and mission; while, concurrently, we must “cast off” from known shores in an outward journey toward the horizon ahead.

When leaving France, St. Madeleine Sophie reminded Philippine to stay close to her roots in France and to hold on to the mission as a inviolable bond. Through all she endured and sacrificed, Philippine found nourishment and solace in her deep roots of faith in God, the love of her family, and the accompaniment of friendship.

On Easter Sunday, this little group of sisters “awakened to the open sea of the Atlantic Ocean,” the new frontier ahead. I pray that each one of us “set sail” from shore this Lent in the spirit of our frontier Saint, and, on Easter Sunday, awaken to find the peace and joy of the Resurrected One.

Note to readers: This is a letter written to our ASH school community at the Rosary in New Orleans, LA.

This short “Call to Worship” opened the Liturgy of Celebration with banners and song in a packed Cathedral. Philippine’s spirit is alive and well!

Good afternoon!
We gather here in this beautiful Cathedral for the opening of the Bicentennial year of celebration of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.

Philippine Duchesne was a pioneer missionary of the Catholic Church. She was a frontier woman of vision. And, she was a woman known as the “one who prays always.”

Beginning today, November 18th, 2017, and continuing through the coming year, the Religious of the Sacred Heart and members of the larger community of the Sacred Heart across the globe will–in a series of celebrations and observances– remember her enduring legacy.

In New Orleans, we have a special devotion to this French missionary who, after 2 months at sea, set foot in the New World just south of the City near the site of the Battle of New Orleans. There, on her arrival, she knelt and kissed the ground.

With four other Religious of the Sacred Heart, Philippine was welcomed by the Ursuline sisters and given hospitality at their Convent– only blocks away from where we gather this evening.

Continuing on her course up the Mississippi River, Philippine founded the first school west of the Mississippi, and she was ultimately responsible for the establishment of the Schools of the Scared Heart across the geographical landscape of North America. From her pioneering root, the Network of Sacred Heart schools has spread to become a very large tree. Today, there are 150 schools of the Sacred Heart in 41 countries of the world.

Philippine’s long life is marked by…
• …her singularity of purpose and her perseverance,
• …her enduring of faith in God, and
• …her extravagant heart for mission.

Despite continuing challenges and disappointments in the rugged territory of Louisiana, her prayer was one of constant and deep surrender—
• surrendering her illusions,
• surrendering her limitations of language,” and
• surrendering her plans to a higher, more mysterious, power that was at work in her life.

Philippine’s efficacy and, indeed, her sanctity was in HOW she lived—not in what she pursued or, even, achieved. Rather, her holiness was in her never-failing revelation of God’s love through all the times of her life, including all those times of personal uncertainty and darkness.

Philippine’s persistent faith in God is what enabled her to be courageous and to express such confidence that “all will be well with us.”

Let us now begin our celebration of the opening of this bicentennial year and of the enduring spirituality of mission given to us by St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.

The graduation ceremonies this year were very special. Our Senior Class and their parents filled the front courtyard of the Rosary campus with a special feeling of love and solemnity that only matched the beauty of the evening. As the sun slowly set, the commencement exercises began: a magical, heart-felt spirit-filled evening for all. I will not forget it…

Welcome to the Board of Trustees, parents, friends and family and, especially to the Senior class of 2017.

This afternoon, you walked through the arched gates of the Sacre Coeur as a member of the Class of 2017, and as a senior member of the student body at the Rosary. Later this evening, after a very traditional and formal ceremony, you will leave through these same gates as a graduate of the Rosary.

These gates are a powerful metaphor, and as you walk through them, you cross over a threshold—the one that lies between the entrance to this school and your exit from it this evening. “Crossing a threshold” is a sacred and a powerful moment in the journey of life, and each of you are crossing an important one this evening.

When you entered these gates as a student, you crossed a threshold, and within these gates, your journey has been carefully accompanied by your parents, teachers, and friends. Like the black iron fence these people have formed a circle around you as you have learned and grown to become the women you are today. Your parents have given you the gift of a Sacred Heart education, and they, with all of us here, have supported you in your pursuits of arts, academics and athletics.

But, later tonight, as you leave through the gates with your back to the school, you are at a point of departure, and you cross a boundary. You are on the verge of something new and your step is the first one of a new beginning. I hope that you make this step mindfully—and make it, as St. Madeleine Sophie said with “courage and confidence” for what lies ahead.

As I prepared for these commencement exercises, I thought about the themes that so many celebrities talk about at graduation ceremonies. These people tend to about the value of striving towards goals, TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS, USING MISTAKES TO BUILD A BRIGHT FUTURE, NEVER GIVING UP ON A DREAM, AND SETTING HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

Themes like these are all good thoughts which no doubt help to inspire new beginnings. But, as a Religious of the Sacred Heart, I believe that I would be remiss if I did not remind you to look upward—to literally look upward this evening to the statue of Jesus which stands as a reminder of your true destiny.

Keeping Jesus as the center of your life is your choice now and it will be entirely your initiative. Keeping Jesus at the center of your life will protect you, will give your strength when times get rough, and knowing of the love of His open heart will nourish you at times when you really need it.As St. Paul said, “….let nothing separate you from the love of God through Jesus Christ.” (Romans 8: 38)

As I look at you this evening, I see a senior class of young women who are kind, smart, generous, service oriented and true leaders. You are confident women and strong women who have made all of us so proud. Looking at you this evening, I believe that you are specially prepared for lives of courage and for lives of leadership.

Thank you, seniors, for being such a wonderful group of human beings!
I hope that you leave Sacred Heart filled with a sense of grace for all that has been given, grace for having received it, grace for sharing it with others, and grace to make a beautiful difference in the world. May God bless you on this next stage of your journey in life.

Last week, our school community gathered for a final day of ceremony called “Prize Day.” This is a special day on the last day of school to formally close the school year. At the end of the ceremonials, I share a few comments. Several people asked that I share my comments…

Thank you to members of our Board of Trustees, our parents and family members in attendance, to our Seniors, and to all of you, for a beautiful Prize Day!

I’ve been thinking about Prize Day for a few weeks in anticipation of this day, so I decided to conduct my own little qualitative research study to gather some information about the subject of prizes. I asked a small sample of people the following question, “What does a prize mean to you?”

Well, the answers to that questions were both interesting and revealing. Most of the people I surveyed said that, “Well, a prize is something that is unexpected. It was an honor for a job well done, and a recognition of one’s efforts.” Most of the people said that receiving a prize really meant a lot to them, and that they felt proud, as though they had accomplished something very challenging, and succeeded.

These responses didn’t surprise me, as I am sure they do not surprise any of us. After all, the outstanding achievements of the girls we recognized today must impart to them a wonderful feeling.

To all of you that received an award today, all of us here say to you, “We are so proud of you for what you have accomplished, and for all of the hard work that you must have put into achieving this recognition today! You truly inspire us, and encourage us to reach for our goals!

But, let me return to the more surprising results of my survey. Several people surveyed in my study answered my question about prizes by saying that were not sure about what a prize meant to them because, they admitted, they had never received one!

One person said that she feels “getting a prize is, even, a bit, overrated, because it is not what others think about you, but, for her, it is about how you evaluate your own self that really matters, not how others evaluate you.”

Another person said she didn’t like getting awards because, to her, it seems that the prize comes from inside, not outside. And, another person said, how, for them, the real prize—the real reward was in the striving to get one.

I suspect that a lot of us will get prizes in our lives, and many of us will not receive any prizes—just like the people in this small study.

For myself, I see prizes as St. Paul does when he says, “…I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me…” (Philippians 3:14). In other words, I feel that God is calling me to His honor and his glory, closer to Him each day, and to a life aligned with the thing He has called me to do.

This is why we say “Honor and Glory to God Alone”at the beginning of this award ceremony. Our success gives glory to God—it honors His purpose. It is not for our own.

Our race towards the goal never ends in life, so we press on to what God is calling us towards. That’s what life is all about—running towards what God is calling you to be.

So, students of the Sacred Heart, continue to press on toward your goals and celebrate the gifts God has given each of you! Whether you won a prize today or not, be happy, be proud in what you have done this year.

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I am a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart-USC Province, an international congregation of women religious. Currently, I am serving as Headmistress at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, the same school that I attended with my 5 sisters.
My blog shares reflections on my experience as a religious women in ministry at school and in community.