About Us
When
and how did Hearts in Action begin?
Hearts in Action (HIA) was founded in 1999
by Sr Sue Shannon of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred
Heart. Sr Sue sought to share heart
spirituality, the special charism of her order, with young Catholics in Melbourne. The group continued under lay leadership when ill health forced Sr Sue to step down in August 2007.
Sr Sue, who had since become a diocesan sister reporting directly to the Archbishop, returned to lead the group in 2015 and again in 2018. Sadly, she died unexpectedly in September the same year.
Who can join?
We welcome anyone in the 30s to 40s age group (and the young at heart) who want to extend their
network of Catholic friends.
Why "Hearts in Action" as a name?
The name reflects the OLSH Sisters’ special
way of understanding the gospel message, inherited from their founder, Fr Jules
Chevalier msc. In the words of the
Sisters’ website, heart spirituality means seeing “that in Jesus, God loves
people with a human heart, and that
he is the answer to their hopes, their questionings, their every need….Our
heart spirituality calls us to imitate Jesus, so that everyone we encounter
will discover through us, the strength of his love to support them in their
fragility, and the gentleness of his love to bring them the compassion and
understanding for which they long. We are the hands and feet, and especially
the heart of Jesus in our world.” (Source:
http://www.olshaustralia.org/our_spirituality/index.html)
What are the strengths of the group?
We believe we meet our goal of nurturing people in their faith and providing friendship opportunities, by connecting them with other Catholics in their age group.
The group attracts members with a wide variety of interests, backgrounds and professions. There is a tendency for everyone to mix with family and friends who are quite similar – HIA really broadens people’s horizons.
The group draws together people from different parishes across Melbourne, and provides opportunities which are not available at the parish level, given that each parish typically only has a small number of people in their 30s and 40s.
We make newcomers feel welcome, while also giving them the space they need to observe the group and figure out if it’s right for them.
While it’s a great endorsement when people join the group via “word of mouth”, we are very keen to reach people who don’t belong to any group and may feel quite isolated from other Catholics.
The group has a long history – we celebrated our 20th anniversary in 2019, and many founding and longtime members are still involved or in touch. This creates a sense of depth and continuity which new members can also enjoy.
