The 149 year educational tradition of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart is grounded in a holistic approach to education. We believe that young persons learn from their total experience of the school setting. We attempt to address the religious, academic, social, psychological, physical, and cultural development of the young person through the school programs, courses, and policies.
Because we believe that students learn through their experience of the total school environment, we devote ourselves to build within the school a community spirit that is characterized by a pervading influence of Christian values, a strong insistence on an orderly and disciplined atmosphere, a personal approach to education, and a firm commitment to academic excellence.
Father Andre’ Coindre, founder of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, was born in Lyons, France in 1787. Devoting his life to the restoration of the Church following the Reign of Terror at the end of the French Revolution, his chief mission became the moral, intellectual and religious development of young orphan boys left in distress by the disintegration of family life following the Revolution.
In 1821 he formed the Brothers of the Sacred Heart to further his efforts, resolving to establish a community of Brothers trained to work for the poor through the establishment of schools. Following the death of Father Coindre in 1826, the efforts of Brother Polycarp, the first Brother Superior General of the Institute, led to tremendous growth. By the time of his death in 1859, the Institute had grown to over 400 Brothers and 70 schools.
In January of 1847, five missionary Brothers of the Sacred Heart arrived in Mobile, Alabama at the request of Bishop Portier to do charitable and educational work. With their arrival in America the congregation began its transformation into a worldwide institute comprised of many nationalities.
The most important aspect of any Catholic education is the development of Christian values and the transmission of the Catholic heritage. We accept this task as the call of the Church and as the primary goal of our school apostolate. Our efforts to have religion permeate the school environment include: pastorally oriented religion and campus ministry programs, modeling of Christian values in dealings with others, the presence of religious activities in the school calendar and religious symbols in school facilities, classroom instruction in all disciplines which reflects the Church’s teaching and Christian values, and a commitment to service to others. In general, we aim to help students experience religion as the love of a personal and loving God who cares for them, and who is their ultimate source of true happiness and freedom.
We also believe that an orderly and disciplined environment is essential to teach love of God, love of neighbor, and love of learning. Our emphasis is on a friendly discipline which corrects and punishes but at the same time teaches and encourages. While we expect and demand respect for authority and adherence to rules and regulations, we advocate discipline which is respectful of the dignity of the individual, is consistent and fair, and is based on a relationship of mutual trust and cooperation.
We view academic excellence as the development of our students to the maximum of their potential. We commit ourselves to this goal as a means of helping students become the whole and complete persons that God created them to be. To accomplish this end we pursue our own ongoing professional development, establish a demanding curriculum which emphasizes command of the basics, work at presenting well-prepared and interesting classes, and continually adapt our curriculum and methodologies to meet changing needs.
To promote an environment characterized by Christian concern and friendly discipline, we attempt to know our students personally and individually. We look for opportunities to work with students outside of class time and in less formal settings. Realizing our partnership with parents in the education process, we extend a warm and friendly welcome to parents. We give our personal attention to developing a spirit of openness and cordial relations with students and parents.
