Committee on Community and Belonging/ Land Acknowledgement

Sacred Heart Greenwich’s Committee on Community and Belonging aims to create a safe and supportive environment that recognizes and respects the unique qualities of every person as a child of God and a global citizen.  Rooted in the values of our 3rd Goal, Justice, the Committee prioritizes the preparation of educators and students to serve the common good in an interdependent world. 

Inspired by our 4th Goal, Community, the Committee is dedicated to fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for all community members. Sacred Heart Greenwich advocates courage and confidence in open conversations that build empathy and enrich all aspects of life. The committee is devoted to providing an intentional, purpose-driven learning community that educates to an understanding of the human dignity of all persons. 

Committee objectives include providing opportunities for student engagement that empower and add to a welcoming and affirming community; planning and coordinating cultural celebrations throughout the year; organizing events for community engagement; interreligious and ecumenical awareness; and working with Admissions, Hiring, and Recruitment Teams to create connections with and support systems for families in various locations within Connecticut and New York. 

The Committee is composed of a full spectrum of Sacred Heart Greenwich educators across all divisions. An Executive Committee is supported by a Plenary Committee, which helps drive effective workflow and implementation. The Committee Chair also liaises with the One Heart Committee of the Board to ensure consistency in the unity of goals, effective coordination, and partnership.

We respectfully acknowledge that, on the lands and spaces that Sacred Heart Greenwich has occupied since 1942, we walk in the ancestral footsteps of the Wiechquaesgeck peoples who originally occupied these majestic acres.

Goal III - Justice calls us to accept responsibility for the care of God’s creation. We are practicing environmental stewards accountable for the care of this land once shared with our indigenous ancestors. Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, we honor the vital relationships with the land beneath our feet, the sky above, and the waters on our horizon. 

Our relationship with Audubon International, coupled with our partnership with the Greenwich Land Trust, allow us to preserve such spaces. Additionally, our ongoing efforts to remediate natural, pastoral spaces on this property are evidence of our conscious awareness of this historic responsibility to remember, recall, and inform the future of our past.