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Visual representation of Magnifica Humanitas (found on social media)

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Visual representation of Magnifica Humanitas (found on social media)

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10 minute video summary of Magnifica Humanitas

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10 minute video summary of Magnifica Humanitas

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Magnifica Humanitas read as an audio book (not AI generated!)

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Magnifica Humanitas read as an audio book (not AI generated!)

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Magnifica Humanitas | Pope Leo XIV (FULL audiobook) — REAL human voice!

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Article by Anna Rowlands in The Tablet, 30th May 2026

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Article by Anna Rowlands in The Tablet, 30th May 2026

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Magnifica Humanitas: Towards a civilisation of love - The Tablet

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MAGNIFICA HUMANITAS, signed on the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, commemorates and updates the themes of Pope Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical. Pope Leo

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What is a Charism  A video from Busted Halo

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What is a Charism  A video from Busted Halo

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After our parents died, my sister and I knew that our maiden name would not carry on. Since there were just the two of us girls and we both took our husbands' names when we married, the surname "Arthur" died with my dad. But it wasn't just the name that we lost with the passing of the older generation. We also lost some family traditions that were important to my parents but less so to my sister and me, like eating peanut butter pie on Christmas day and my dad's prayer before meals. We even lost a bit of the connection with some cousins that we used to see more regularly when my mom controlled the family social calendar.

Many religious communities are working now to keep this same kind of thing from happening to them. Since the number of religious sisters, priests, and brothers has decreased significantly in recent decades, wise communities of vowed religious are working to ensure that their order's unique spin on how they live out the Gospel can be passed to future generations through the lay people involved in their sponsored ministries.
RELATED: Why the Sign of the Peace Means Now More Than Ever
That spin has a name, one that is commonly misunderstood: Charism. A charism is defined in some circles as a "special power," but this conjures up images of snake-handling believers speaking in tongues, which doesn't quite hit the mark. Others define it as a talent, but in common parlance, we don't say that a good pianist has a "musical charism" or that an accomplished chef has a "culinary charism." Still, others define it as a "gift of the Holy Spirit," which is certainly true and the original meaning of the root word in Greek, but this definition is still a bit too general to be useful.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines charisms as "graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world" (Article 799). In everyday language, a charism can be understood as "the gifts from God that allow a person or group to live out the Gospel in relation to the world around them." In this way, it is the power/talent/gift/grace through which a religious order puts the Gospel into daily practice.

You'd be forgiven for assuming that religious orders are all pretty much the same. Many people do since, after all, they take many of the same vows. But just as your family and mine both celebrate Christmas, we might have very different ways of doing so. Your family might insist on exchanging presents on Christmas Eve before attending midnight Mass. Mine might prioritize the use of an Advent calendar, caroling, and Christmas movie marathons. Both of us honor the feast, but we each have our own spin on it.

Similarly, all Catholic religious orders work to live out the Gospel, but each one does so in its own way. Some emphasize prayer and contemplation while others concentrate on service in the community. Some sponsor ministries in health care while others are devoted to education. Some prioritize long-standing traditional Catholic practices, while others emphasize advocacy and social justice. Each has its own "gifts of the Holy Spirit" that enable them to live out their mission as a religious order in the Church.

Understanding charism in this way is more important today than ever before. Just as I lost family traditions and connections to relatives after my parents died, religious orders are in danger of losing their particular spins on Gospel living now that the future of the ministries they sponsor are run by lay people.
RELATED: 3 Ways to Discover Your Vocation
Although this may sound like bad news, it's not! At least, it doesn't have to be. In fact, religious communities have a unique opportunity to nurture - and even elevate - their charism within the ministries that they sponsor. I work at an all-girls Catholic high school sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. When the school opened in 1955, all the teachers and administrators were religious sisters who lived in the convent attached to the building. But we haven't had a Sister of Mercy employed as a teacher at our school in more than 20 years.

However, the charism of the Sisters of Mercy is stronger and more visible at our school than it ever was before the advent of lay teachers. That's because the sisters recognized the need to be very intentional and explicit in teaching their charism to the lay people who began to replace them in their ministries. At my school, everyone from the president and principal down to the newest freshman student can tell you what the core values of the Sisters of Mercy are and what social justice issues they prioritize in their service and advocacy. That was not the case in decades past.

Fortunately, many religious orders have been forward-thinking as they look to the future. They have wisely taken the challenge of declining numbers and turned it into an opportunity to clearly define and communicate their charism. In fact, their example has encouraged me to be more intentional about the family traditions I hope my son will pass on to his children and grandchildren. Sometimes the threat of losing something of value is the very thing that makes it more precious over time.
Originally published May 1, 2019

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What Is a Charism? Understanding Our Holy Traditions | Busted Halo

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After our parents died, my sister and I knew that our maiden name would not carry on. Since there were just the two of us girls and we both took our husbands' names when we married, the surname "Arthur" died with my dad.

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The YouTube channel of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools and College in England and Wales

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Prepared by VL and shared at ENW Heads Conference - March 2026

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a 15 minute film for all staff who work in Sacred Heart schools or colleges

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Sacred Heart Charism presentation for Governors

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Sacred Heart Charism presentation for Governors

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A powerpoint with notes

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a short 4 min video for staff explaining the history of the Sacred Heart Goals and how to bring them to life in the classroom

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A short introduction to Sophie, Philippine, Mabel and Janet adapted from 2019 Network Booklet

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Short introduction to Madeleine Sophie, Philippine, Mabel and Janet (see also Spirituality / founding mothers)

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Short introduction to Madeleine Sophie, Philippine, Mabel and Janet (see also Spirituality / founding mothers)

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A short introduction to Sophie, Philippine, Mabel and Janet[27849]

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Janet Stuart on improving teaching and learning

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Janet Stuart on improving teaching and learning

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Written by Sr Sue Acheson RSCJ PhD

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Recording of Thomas Groome's presentation to Faculty of Sacred Heart Greenwich, August 2019 (Author of Will there be Faith?)

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Faculty and Staff Retreat Presentation: August 2019

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Formation presentation from Heads Conference March 2023

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Formation presentation from Heads Conference March 2023

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Janet Erskine Stuart: Life and reflection on Goals; delivered January 2016

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Powerpoint

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The story of St Madeleine Sophie Barat: a video

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The story of St Madeleine Sophie Barat: a video

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What is interesting about Sophie Barat is that, at the time of the Revolution, instead of fighting, she builds something...she is saying that time is greater than space, and so she will take time to build what she wants, that is, education.
- MGR. Hervé Giraud, Archbishop of Sens-Auxerre

This video, created by the BFN Province and the Sophie Barat Centre in Joigny, beautifully recounts the story of Madeleine Sophie and the founding of our Society. Directed by Quentin Pouteau, the son of Nathalie Pouteau (the current director of the Sophie Barat Centre), it provides an overview of Sophie's life and work, and the impact she had.

Featuring interviews with Monsignor Hervé Giraud, Archbishop of Sens-Auxerre, Rachel Guillen, rscj, and Nathalie Pouteau, the director of the Sophie Barat Centre, it talks about Sophie's birth and early childhood, the rigorous education given to her by her brother, Louis Barat, her enormous and overflowing love for Jesus and her concern for children. With 97 flourishing institutions and 3,539 nuns living her spirituality by the time of her death, it shows how Sophie's great accomplishments changed the lives of so many girls and women of her time. At a time of violence and political instability, Sophie chose to build instead of fight, to found a congregation that would prioritize education for women, espousing a pedagogy that was altogether ahead of its time in its focus on the individual child, their gifts and their needs.

Whether you have spent a lifetime studying the life and work of Madeleine Sophie, or whether you are only beginning to learn about her and the Society she founded, this video will enrich your knowledge and immerse you in the life of an original and innovative thinker, a devoted saint, and one of the greatest educators of her time: the woman born of fire.

To view subtitles in English, Spanish or French, click on the YouTube icon on the bottom right to go to the YouTube page, and then click on settings, also on the bottom right, and choose your language.

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Fire brought me into this world: The story of Sophie Barat

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What is interesting about Sophie Barat is that, at the time of the Revolution, instead of fighting, she builds something...she is saying that time is greater than space, and so she will take time to build what she wants, that is, education. - MGR.

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An Education rooted in the Constitutions (Extracts)

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An Education, rooted in the Constitutions

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An Education, rooted in the Constitutions

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To accompany the understanding of Charism

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An Education rooted in the Constitutions[26828]

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Pedagogy and Relationships Final 25.08.21

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Pedagogy and Relationships in Sacred Heart Education

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Pedagogy and Relationships in Sacred Heart Education

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Glossary

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Created by the USC schools network - please acknowledge creators

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Sacred Heart Educators An Orientation to Mission

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An introductory video produced for all who work in Sacred Heart schools by the United States Canada Province

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Society of the Sacred Heart is a member of Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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Charism & Sacred Heart Education Final 25.08.21

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Charism & Sacred Heart Education Final DraftA 3.8.21[26434]