The mission of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary is "to know and love God, to make God known and loved, to proclaim that Jesus Christ has come that all may have life." Since our founding in 1849, this faith vision of the founder has been implemented in different ways, according to the needs of the times in various cultures. Our Mission Statement today emphasizes our work for those "most in need of justice" and we are especially committed to the empowerment of women and children.
In the Eastern and Western American Provinces, our ministries encompass a variety of areas:
Our ministry of education is fulfilled both through RSHM schools in the United States and Europe and through a variety of other educational services such as English as a Second Language, computer instruction for adults, and homework help for children. To read about our additional educational ministries please click here.
Sisters are engaged in a variety of social services in RSHM ministries and in collaboration with other religious congregations. These services include support for the immigrant population, programs in human development, senior citizen outreach, food pantries, and health education. Several of our Sisters are qualified attorneys who serve the poor and immigrant populations or provide legal services to other religious congregations.
RSHM are involved in pastoral work ranging from programs offered at our retreat center to hospital chaplaincy, hospice ministry, parish and archdiocesan ministry, prison ministry and campus ministry.
While justice is a key focus in all our ministries, we work more explicitly through several of our ministries, through RSHM Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation activities, and through our NGO at the United Nations.
Sisters engaged in the arts, including music, art conservation, weaving, and pottery, view the arts as the expression of the human spirit sharing in God's creation.