{"id":15495,"date":"2016-08-13T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-13T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians-87240\/"},"modified":"2016-08-13T09:02:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-13T09:02:00","slug":"this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/","title":{"rendered":"This Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year.<\/p>\n

These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education.<\/p>\n

Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,\u201d the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon.<\/p>\n

So, what's their secret to producing all-stars?<\/p>\n

While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school \u201cdoes have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,\u201d the schools press release stated.<\/p>\n

The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making \u2013 all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,\u201d Heckler said.<\/p>\n

The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat's mission of challenging every student to be their \u201cmost authentic selves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,\u201d Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters\u2019 hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio.<\/p>\n

While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,\u201d Heckler said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year.<\/p>\n

These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education.<\/p>\n

Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year.<\/p>\n

“Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school’s communications director Donna Heckler told CNA.<\/p>\n

“They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said.<\/p>\n

After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon.<\/p>\n

So, what’s their secret to producing all-stars?<\/p>\n

While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.”<\/p>\n

According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth.<\/p>\n

“The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year’s dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated.<\/p>\n

The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete.<\/p>\n

“Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said.<\/p>\n

The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat’s mission of challenging every student to be their “most authentic selves.”<\/p>\n

The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans.<\/p>\n

“The Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,” Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.   <\/p>\n

Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters’ hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio.<\/p>\n

While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world.<\/p>\n

“While today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,” Heckler said.<\/p>\n

“With a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.”<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-americas"],"yoast_head":"\nThis Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year. These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education. Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year. “Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA. “They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said. After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon. So, what's their secret to producing all-stars? While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.” According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth. “The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated. The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete. “Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said. The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat's mission of challenging every student to be their “most authentic selves.” The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans. “The Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,” Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.    Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters’ hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio. While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world. “While today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,” Heckler said. “With a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.”\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year. These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education. Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year. “Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA. “They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said. After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon. So, what's their secret to producing all-stars? While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.” According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth. “The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated. The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete. “Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said. The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat's mission of challenging every student to be their “most authentic selves.” The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans. “The Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,” Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.    Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters’ hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio. While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world. “While today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,” Heckler said. “With a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.”\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-13T09:02:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Top_left_to_right_Anabelle_Smith_Katie_Ledecky_Lia_Neal_bottom_left_to_right_Erin_Rafuse_Gaby_Lopez_KK_Clark_Courtesy_of_Sacred_Heart_Schools_CNA_copy.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/\",\"name\":\"This Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-08-13T09:02:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-08-13T09:02:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year. These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education. Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year. “Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA. “They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said. After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon. So, what's their secret to producing all-stars? While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.” According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth. “The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated. The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete. “Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said. The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. 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These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education. Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year. “Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA. “They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said. After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon. So, what's their secret to producing all-stars? While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.” According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth. “The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated. The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete. “Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said. The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat's mission of challenging every student to be their “most authentic selves.” The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans. “The Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,” Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.    Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters’ hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio. While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world. “While today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,” Heckler said. “With a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.”","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians","og_description":"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year. These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education. Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year. “Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA. “They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said. After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon. So, what's their secret to producing all-stars? While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.” According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth. “The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated. The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete. “Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said. The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat's mission of challenging every student to be their “most authentic selves.” The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans. “The Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,” Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.    Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters’ hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio. While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world. “While today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,” Heckler said. “With a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.”","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2016-08-13T09:02:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Top_left_to_right_Anabelle_Smith_Katie_Ledecky_Lia_Neal_bottom_left_to_right_Erin_Rafuse_Gaby_Lopez_KK_Clark_Courtesy_of_Sacred_Heart_Schools_CNA_copy.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/","name":"This Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-08-13T09:02:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-08-13T09:02:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 13, 2016 \/ 03:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, and Anabelle Smith are some names you might hear on television if you are watching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year. These Olympians have all won medals in the 2016 games, but they are also united by another common factor: their Catholic education. Sacred Heart Schools, founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, boasts of a network of over 145 Catholic schools across the globe that have been teaching for over two hundred years. These schools are also responsible for producing nine Olympic athletes who are competing at Rio this year. “Our athletes recognize that their gifts comes from God and are not to be wasted,” the school's communications director Donna Heckler told CNA. “They are taught to take personal responsibility for themselves while being self-disciplined in their efforts,” she said. After the first two days of competition, the Sacred Heart Olympians won four medals in Rio. Their alumnae are from four different countries, and include Katie Ledecky, Lia Neal, Anabelle Smith, KK Clark, Mary Joe Fenandez, Gaby Lopez, Gabi Nance, Erin Rafuse, and Denise Sheldon. So, what's their secret to producing all-stars? While Heckler noted that they have no secret to producing Olympians, she did say that the school “does have a secret to producing amazing people. That secret is seen in the five Goals and Criteria of the Sacred Heart Schools that bind the schools together.” According to Heckler, the network of Sacred Heart Schools focuses on instilling five main goals in their students: a personal relationship with God, respect for intellectual values, social awareness and action, community building, and personal growth. “The Goals and Criteria, which are Sacred Heart educational principles, are foundational to this year's dedicated Sacred Heart Olympians,” the schools press release stated. The students who attend Sacred Heart schools are fostered in self-discipline, accountability and responsible decision making – all of which caters to producing a disciplined student and athlete. “Students are taught to open themselves up to the transforming power of the Spirit of God and to explore their individual relationships to God, to self, to others and to all creation,” Heckler said. The network of Sacred Heart Schools are run by the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Although each individual school has its own history and character, they are all rooted in St. Madeleine Sophie Barat's mission of challenging every student to be their “most authentic selves.” The Sisters love to see their students excel and are among the Sacred Heart Olympians biggest fans. “The Sisters love their students and see their heart in all they do,” Heckler stated, saying that the sisters have the schedules of all of the Sacred Heart athletes, and follow each of their events closely.    Although the Sacred Heart students hold a special place in the Sisters’ hearts, Heckler did say that the Sisters pray for all of the athletes competing in Rio. While the Sacred Heart Olympians are making a big splash in the Rio games this year, Heckler noted that all of their alumnae are bringing Catholic values to various outlets in the world. “While today we are all celebrating the Olympic athletes, Sacred Heart alumni are making a difference throughout the world: in business, in journalism, in music, in education, in medicine, in justice and peace, in the arts, in service,” Heckler said. “With a strong faith, commitment to others and value of community, Sacred Heart students bring these values to the world every day.”","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/this-catholic-school-network-produced-nine-rio-olympians\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This Catholic school network produced nine Rio Olympians"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15495\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}