Each October selected faculty and staff who have been at Marymount for at least five years travel to the south of France to be immersed in the history and ongoing ministry of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. The experience is centered in Béziers, where the RSHM originated in the 19th century. There, at the Mother House and through tours of the town and nearby areas, participants meet colleagues from other Marymount schools and re-affirm the vitality of the mission of the RSHM and the Network of Schools.
The immersion experience is organized and run by RSHM sisters residing at the Mother House in Béziers. Participants in the program—teachers, administrators, and alumni of Marymount schools around the world—learn about the history of the order, hearing talks on the political and religious climate in France at the time of the order’s founding in 1849 and on the lives of Père Gailhac and Mère St. Jean. Presentations highlight the risks and difficulties that the founders overcame in creating a religious order that would aid orphans, prostitutes, beggars, and other needy inhabitants of Béziers and the surrounding countryside. Discussions among the participants address the Goals and Criteria of the Network of Schools and the commonality of the schools located around the world.