Today is the day saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), our first American born canonized saint, joined the Catholic Church in 1805. She was foundress of the American Sisters of Charity but only after her husband died; some of her children were still young when she went to Baltimore to teach at the request of Bishop John Carroll, first bishop in the United States who had insisted that the priests have a voice in electing their bishop.

To continue reflection on the Spirituality of the Society of the Sacred Heart from our Constitutions:

7.
We participate in the mission of the Church
through the service of education
which is our way of continuing the work of Christ.
This service of education and instruction is directed
chiefly towards the young
and those who bear within them the future of the world.
Caught up as we are in the desires of His Heart,
we want people to grow in dignity, as human beings
and as children of God
Our starting point is the Gospel
with all that it demands from us of love, forgiveness
and justice,
and of solidarity with those who are poor
and rejected by the world.

Having taught every class from kindergarten through postmaster's for over sixty years, I feel I really lived a great deal of my life at the service of education. I felt even more an educator during the years I also did formation work for my Province in Chile, or was superior and teaching English to help support the community, or when giving retreats, etc. We are educators and this influences all that we do.
The desire to help people to grow as human beings and children of God does demand a great deal from us and leads us into different ministries. Our starting point is always the Gospel. It is amazing how looking at Jesus in the Gospel, trying to put on the mind and heart of Jesus, seems to solve so many situations. The Gospels are not just to be studied but to be lived.