Our Mission
The Visitation Salesian Network exists to work collaboratively with our school communities so that all may experience the Visitation way of living the Christian life, of “living Jesus.” Our purpose is to facilitate the formation of minds and hearts through the Gospel-based teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal.
As the number of sisters engaged in the educational ministry in our schools has decreased, our Sisters have found ways to share the Visitation charism with the dedicated lay women and men who have partnered with them in their educational programs. The Second Federation of the Visitation of Holy Mary has spent a great deal of time discussing ways in which they could empower the laity to work with the Sisters in sharing responsibilities for the ongoing unique character of a Visitation school and the rich legacy of their Salesian Charism. In 1988, under the leadership of Sr. Anne Madeleine Godfrey, VHM, the Sisters of the Second Federation, established the Visitation Salesian Network to “work collaboratively with Visitation school communities so that all may experience what it means to ‘Live + Jesus’.” The purpose being to facilitate the formation of minds and hearts through the Gospel-based teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal.
The first meeting of the Visitation Salesian Network was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1988. In the intervening years, local VSN teams have developed programs which have enriched our school environments and encouraged both teachers and students to embrace the tenets of Salesian Spirituality.
The VSN committee works collaboratively across schools to foster opportunities for both adult and student groups to learn, experience and practice the values offered by the Salesian lens on the Gospel and the richness of the Catholic faith.
In 2003, the federation leadership appointed the first Visitation Salesian Network Director, Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM, with the national network comprising two persons from each monastery/school community. At the time, half were Sisters. In 2008, Anne Williams succeeded Sr. Mary Berchmans as the second Director and first laywoman. In 2024, the National VSN staff expanded with the addition of a Ministry Coordinator.
The National VSN Committee first created a booklet entitled Educating the Mind and Heart in the Visitation Tradition as a guide for educators in all of the Visitation Schools. The purpose was to present the Visitation educational philosophy and mission as educators in this tradition in terms of six goals which help substantiate the charism of the Visitation. The Director was responsible for providing a periodic evaluation to ascertain that the Salesian charism is alive and well on every level of school life by assessing how these goals are being achieved in each respective school.
A collection of Salesian materials from Sisters and their lay colleagues across the years was then produced in the publication, Introducing Salesian Spirituality – A Formation Guide for Administrators, Faculty, and Staff in Visitation Schools, to provide both information and insight regarding the Salesian identity of our Visitation schools.
Over the last thirty-five years, the VSN has developed a diverse portfolio of formative programming for use within our schools and connections across our schools to enliven the relational aspects of the Salesian legacy. In addition, Charism Directors from each school meet regularly to support each other in on-going resource sharing, experiences of growth and challenge. The VSN schools also develop a common annual Salesian theme to nourish, extend and deepen the Catholic identity and Salesian spiritual life of the school (for more on our programs, click here).
In unity there is strength; therefore, we work together to respond to the Lord’s mission to bring his love and peace to others through our educational ministry. Salesian Spirituality carries a powerful message to God’s people. It is our privilege to be carriers of this grace to the members of our school communities.
Our Vision
The vision of the Visitation Salesian Network is to enable our schools to become communities which believe in, practice and perpetuate the Salesian charism so that together, all members of the community may embrace our human and Christian task: to carry Christ to those whom we serve and with whom we work.
The Gifts We Share – Key Facets of Salesian Spirituality
For more than two hundred years, Visitation schools throughout the United States have shared a heritage which has created a unique, sometimes intangible, spirit within the school communities. This heritage, rooted in the Gospel and growing from our Catholic faith, has come to be known as Salesian spirituality.
The Visitation Salesian Network of Schools 