Connor Fitzpatrick

Bio
Connor Fitzpatrick is a high school senior at Sacred Heart Prep, Atherton. There isn’t a subject or class that he does not love but his favorite is religion because it is the most interdisciplinary and includes virtually every subject such as history, science, literature, language, culture, theology, anthropology, etc. He has a blast rowing crew for NorCal Crew in Redwood City and spending time with his family and two dogs. He grew up visiting the 50 elderly Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) nuns on Sacred Heart’s campus and has always felt a special affection for them and their mission. Throughout his time at Sacred Heart,  he's noticed that while the Sisters live on campus, most students do not have much interaction with them and over the past years he has been a leader in increasing students’ interactions with the Sisters. Last March, when school closed and Oakwood locked down, he enlisted his talented schoolmates and started “Sister Act,” a weekly Zoom showcase that connects students, faculty, and alumni with the Sisters.

Synopsis
The RSCJ are an endangered group and soon, in our lifetimes, they may all be gone. Over the past year I created a TEDx Talk to highlight them and their work and to examine the dwindling numbers of RSCJ vocations. The RSCJ’s numbers are plummeting which is a problem not only for the Order but also for the world the Order worked to educate. I interviewed the Sisters on Sacred Heart’s campus as well as a former Superior General Mother to learn why vocations are decreasing and what can be done to increase them. I also got a chance to hear their stories and motivations for why they became and, sometimes more interestingly, remained nuns.