“Your example, even more than words, will be an eloquent lesson to the world.”

-Madeleine Sophie Barat.

Sister Lydia Collado, RSCJ lives that message from Madeleine Sophie Barat everyday. She is a devoted Sister of the Sacred Heart living out a mission of helping the people of the Philippines through her work on Sophie’s Farm. A group of SHHS and CHS students traveled to Sophie’s Farm in February 2023 to learn about the farm, the people in the village that the farm serves and the ties to our global Sacred Heart Community. 

In early 2024, Sophie’s Farm was devastated by a typhoon that destroyed critical infrastructure and seedbeds for the lettuce farms. Sister Lydia and everyone at Sophie’s Farm needed help in order to rebuild. Sister Lydia was able to zoom into NSAC, which is the Network Student Advisory Committee of the Sacred Heart Community and present her mission to the entire group of students across the United States. The students were so moved and inspired by Sister Lydia, they decided to make Sophie’s Farm their fundraising project for the 2023-24 year. The schools collectively raised over $7000 for the farm.

Recently, Sister Lydia made the long trip from the Philippines to the United States in order to attend the 50th Year Celebration Summit of the Sacred Heart Network of the US and Canada. Her first stop was to San Francisco to visit SHHS and CHS. She was greeted by Dr. Krejcarek, Mr. Farrell, Ms. Simpson, many other faculty members, and students who visited Sophie’s Farm in the February 2023 trip to the Philippines.

“When Sr. Lydia, Syd & Gerard came to visit our campus, I felt immense gratitude, happiness, and satisfaction. I learned about Sophie’s Farm five years ago and felt an immediate connection with Sr. Lydia. Back then our goal was to connect and make the farm’s unique form of education known among other Sacred Heart network schools. Through the RSCJ’s mission at Sophie’s Farm, I feel that God has given me the perfect opportunity of helping my countrymen in a significant way. In the words of Sr. Ann Conroy, ‘Education can and should be transformative. Lives can be turned around.’ Sophie’s Farm offers us a chance to be of service to the poor community, to uplift their lives, and to appreciate how fortunate we are,” said Rena Franco, who was critical to organizing the first trip to Sophie’s Farm and Sister Lydia’s trip to the United States.

On her trip to the school, she visited many groups who contributed to fundraising for the farm, including the Fourth grade class, who last year as Third graders raised $800 for the farm. In addition, she visited high school classes and spoke at the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit, where she shared wise words about living out God’s spirit within our lives. 

“Sister Lydia’s visit to the school was an incredible experience. Knowing what she does in the Philippines, I was surprised to have her visit, but I’m glad she did. She was nothing but nice during her stay, and she was great to talk to. I hope she can come back again another day!,” says Junior Danny Loy, who visited the farm in 2023.

At the summit in Chicago, she hosted three sessions about her work at Sophie’s Farm. Her impact was profoundly felt at the conference.

“Sr. Lydia’s presence at the Summit exposed the global reach of the Sacred Heart Network. The interest generated by her presentation attests to a growing awareness of the significance of our work beyond the contexts of schools. Since their arrival in the Philippines in 1969, the RSCJs have chosen to work outside traditional institutions, to accompany local communities on their own terms. We have much to learn from these women,” said Mr. MS Campos, who was not only on the delegation to Chicago but was also on the initial trip to the Philippines.

“There’s a call to action that resonates throughout this summit. We are here to share, learn, and take these insights back to our communities. I’ve realized that we can learn from each other’s experiences, whether in affluent schools or grassroots ministries,” says Sister Lydia regarding the summit.

 At the summit, schools from across the network and people came together regardless of economic status and took time to learn from each other. There were representatives from a diverse group of schools. Regardless of where people were from or socioeconomic status, the summit brought everyone together to learn from each other. 

“Our shared spirituality allows us to connect beyond borders and recognize that each of our missions is vital to our collective purpose,” says Sister.

Sister Lydia’s appearance at the Summit and the Sacred Heart Schools collective efforts in raising money for the farm shows the values of the Sacred Heart—how we are a community who values all people which come together in times of need.