Our Heritage

Sacred Heart School was founded by the Sisters of Mount St. Benedict. The Benedictine History Mural was installed in the Sacred Heart High School commons in 2015.

Many followers of Jesus followed the Rule of St. Benedict in the past and many still do so today.  The Rule of St. Benedict was written in the 6th century by St. Benedict, the founder of the monastery of Monte Cassino.  The Rule contains a treasure of spiritual wisdom and its Prologue and seventy-three chapters provide teaching about the basic monastic virtues of humility, and obedience as well as directives for daily christian living.  The Rule of St. Benedict prescribes times for common prayer, meditative reading, and manual work; it legislates for the details of common living such as clothing, sleeping arrangements, food and drink, care of the sick, reception of guests, recruitment of new members, journeys away from the monastery, etc.

Founded upon our Benedictine heritage of prayer and work, Sacred Heart Catholic School promotes faith in Jesus Christ, educates youth and ministers to all.

The mission statement for Sacred Heart School is often included on official documents for the school, displayed on handbooks and on the cover of student planners, posted in each classroom, and on the banners found on the walls throughout the school. But what does Sacred Heart School mean when they say, “founded upon our Benedictine heritage?”

In 1912, the Sisters of Mount St. Benedict formed Sacred Heart School, “that in all things, God may be glorified” (Rule of St. Benedict #57).  The Rule of St. Benedict was written in the 6th century to govern the community life of monks who wanted to seek God together.  It is still used by Benedictine communities today, including the Sisters of Mount St. Benedict, but the time-tested wisdom that it contains is useful for guiding the life of any community that seeks God together.  

Beyond what is traditionally taught as part of the faith based curriculum, Sacred Heart School administration pondered a way to remind and teach students what values they should place first in their lives in order to live a life that glorifies God. “I wanted to provide staff with a common language so that students in grades K-12 would understand what they were working to achieve over their years at Sacred Heart,” explains Miss Joanne Wilson, Dean of Academics 7-12 and Principal K-6. “That meant finding a way to identify what these values would look and sound like throughout the school, within our families, and in our community.” 

In 2017,  after brainstorming with staff, it became quickly evident that those qualities and values desired in students and graduates of Sacred Heart also tied to the Benedictine Values originally followed by the school’s Benedictine founders.  Those specific Benedictine values became the core principles to guide daily interactions and instruction while encompassing the mission of Sacred Heart School.  “As important as academics are for our students, our leadership team believes that graduates who possess a relationship with Jesus Christ with a firm faith foundation, treat others with kindness, humility and a good work ethic will go further than those with just a high ACT score,” explains 7-12th Principal and Activities Director, Mr. Blake Karas.

Here at Sacred Heart, we are not merely about education.  We are about formation, and that involves the whole person: body, mind, and soul.  “Who do we want this person to be when he or she walks across the stage at graduation?” Fr. Matt Schmitz, Associate Pastor, asked teachers during the Fall of 2018.  “People who encounter our graduates should be able to say, “That person must have graduated from Sacred Heart, because he knows how to listen; she’s a woman of hospitality; he’s humble.” 

The school asked teachers to incorporate methods of helping students visually identify and celebrate the values created by the school.  To help refine their usage further, one of the high school theology teachers, Roger Pieper, drew a correlation between the Benedictine Values and the growth and development standards of the elementary report card.  Teachers found common themes that they used to tie lessons to behaviors, words, thoughts, and actions in the classroom.  To provide further guidance in living a virtuous life, the Education in Virtue program was purchased for grades K-6 and the high school theology teachers to help teach the language of virtue, help children live the virtues as they draw closer to God, and to assist all in becoming a witness of Christ to others.

To create additional visual reminders, the school has featured the Benedictine Values on banners around the school, incorporated it into existing curriculum, reworked requirements for recognition programs such as Student of the Month and Year, and has read values out loud as expectations from coaches, fans, and athletes before home athletic events. 

The school renamed the system of identified Benedictine Values to be lived by students and graduates at Sacred Heart as the “Eagle Way,” tying the values to the school’s mascot. “We wanted to catch students carrying our Benedictine Values out,” says Karas.  “I felt like highlighting the values would support best practice in education and allow students to practice behaviors that we wanted to form our culture and support our Catholic faith. “ 

The school now asks for weekly nominations from faculty, parents, and the community and recognizes students enrolled in Kindergarten through grade 12 weekly as part of morning announcements.