Attending the 1998 Mission Education Conference last spring were a couple of principals from SCJ-sponsored schools. They liked the idea of learning about the larger organization of which they were a part &endash;&endash; the Priests of the Sacred Heart &endash;&endash; and the spirituality and values by which its members lived.

The principals decided that they wanted to take that meeting a step further and have a gathering of administrators from all of the SCJ-sponsored schools. The educators brought their idea to Fr. Tony Russo, SCJ, director of Dehonian Affiliates, who was enthusiastic.

"Our schools are very diverse, they represent many different cultures and parts of the country," said Fr. Tony. "But they are all very similar in that they are helping us to fulfill the dreams of Fr. Dehon, our founder. Taking the opportunity to talk about what those dreams are and how each of our schools is a part of that one mission is important... What excites me is that the idea for this came from the educators themselves, not from a province commission or committee. It's something important to the people who collaborate with us. They want to learn more about Fr. Dehon and how to continue his dreams."

March 1-3, ten administrators, along with Fr. Tony, met in Hales Corners to learn more about SCJ spirituality and to dialogue on common issues.

The participants represented six of the seven SCJ-sponsored schools: St. Joseph's Indian School in South Dakota, Sacred Heart School in Walls, Miss., Holy Family School in Holly Springs, Miss., St. Martin of Tours in Franklin, Wis., and Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Schools in Houston, Texas. The administrator from Holy Name School in Houston was unable to attend.

Fr. Paul Kelly, SCJ, delivered a presentation on Fr. Dehon and David Schimmel, a former member of the community, talked about the founder's own work in education. The administrators also took time to share with each other successful programs from their institutions and discuss ways in which the schools might collaborate in the future.

On the last day of the gathering, educators took a serious look at some of the ideas that had developed in the three days and drew up an action plan with short and long-term goals.

First, they defined their purpose: "...The schools agree to participate in a collaborative effort to promote the values of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and its founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon. As part of a joint effort, the schools consent to communicate regularly, promote an understanding of SCJ values, meet yearly and work toward joint planning for students and staff who are a part of these organizations."

The educators then listed values common to all the schools. Primary to all, of course, are the children. Preparing students for their future takes precedence above all else. The importance of cultural diversity, promotion of social ministry, the role of the Catholic Church in spiritual development and an attention to the vision of Fr. Dehon were also listed as common values among the educators.

It's easy to brainstorm, and few people would disagree with the common values the educators listed. The hard part is to do something with those ideas and make realistic plans for the future.

The group's first goal is basic but very important: share what happened in the three-day gathering with the staff of each of the schools. "That's always hard," said one of the principals. "We are excited about what has gone on here during these past couple of days but how do you convey that excitement to the people who weren't here? How do you get them 'on-board?'" Another stressed that it is important not only to communicate with school staff but also other administrators, such as the pastor at a parish school or the executive directors of Sacred Heart Southern Missions and St. Joseph's Indian School. "Communication has to go 'up' and 'down.'"

By the end of the school year, the educators plan to distribute or present to their staff information about Fr. Dehon and SCJ values. During the next academic year, each school is to have an in-service for its teachers covering many of the same topics presented during the administrators' Hales Corners meeting. It is hoped that each school will be able to tap into resources available close to home, such as local SCJs. "In several places we have SCJs who were once novice masters or involved in other aspects of formation," said Fr. Russo. "They could be excellent presenters, doing much of what was done here during these past few days."

Other plans for the future include the development of a pen-pal program that would involve students as well as teachers. "Schools will be matched up in the next year so that students from St. Joseph's Indian School can become pen-pals with children at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston, and so on," said Fr. Tony. Two teachers from each school will also be asked to begin regular correspondence with each other to share ideas and simply learn about another area.

Long-range plans are to involve student and teacher exchanges between the schools, a multi-school publication, participation in inter-school academic games, curriculum sharing and further education on and promotion of SCJ values.

The administrators will next meet in March, 2000, in Houston. Jan Krametbauer, principal of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, will serve as host.