Responding to the needs of our time: maintaining the charism of Jean Gailhac at the heart of leadership at all levels in RSHM schools

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate and identify the distinctive nature of the charism of Fr. Jean Gailhac and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM) and examine its influence on leadership at all levels within a Catholic school context so as to ascertain the extent to which this charism, and the leadership style it inspires, can be maintained, passed on to and modeled by successive generations of lay Catholic school leaders. A literature review will explore key themes, such as the nature of charism, charisms in the context of Catholic education, the distinctive charism of Fr. Jean Gailhac and the RSHM and the nature of leadership in the context of Catholic education and declining vocations in religious orders, with a particular focus on servant leadership, the sacramental perspective and collaborative ministry. Quantitative and qualitative research, including questionnaires distributed to staff and students in positions of leadership and interviews with the current Headmistress and Chair of Governors, will be undertaken so as to gather meaningful data to support the hypothesis that distinctive charisms can and do inform leadership practices at all levels within a school community and that, with appropriate planning, these charisms can and should be maintained in perpetuity by future generations of lay leaders. The dissertation will conclude with a summary of the main findings of the research in light of the literature reviewed and offer a number of recommendations that could be of benefit to schools seeking to maintain their distinctive charism.