St. Jane de Chantal Salesian Center
Simple, yet powerful and life affirming, Salesian Spirituality is the foundation for all that is Visitation; it is our legacy from the Sisters. To safeguard and continue this incomparable way of life, Georgetown Visitation founded the St. Jane de Chantal Salesian Center in May 2016.
The Sisters and the school wisely created the Salesian Center to act as a bridge between the Monastery and the lay, carrying the Visitation charism into the future. Our work is at the heart of the school’s mission to educate women of faith, vision, and purpose and to help all community members Live Jesus!
Kati Hylden Krueger '99
St. Jane de Chantal Center Team
Kati Hylden Krueger '99, Director
Savannah Anne Carman, Program Coordinator
Genevieve Kocienda, School Archivist
Salesian Programming
To ensure that the Sisters’ gentle, inspired common sense approach to living a faith-filled life continues to endure, flourish, and guide all aspects of a Visitation education into our third century and beyond, Visitation founded the St. Jane de Chantal Salesian Center, which works collaboratively with the Sisters of the Visitation, Salesian Ministry, Campus Ministry, Christian Service, and Religion Departments to create meaningful ways for our lay community to be the hands and voice of our Salesian charism as we witness the Sisters’ beautiful way of Living Jesus.
- Fides & Scientia Speaker Series
- First Friday Adoration
- First Friday Rosary with the Visitation Fathers' Club
- Loving Life, Living Jesus Reflections
- Salesian Friends Group with the Sisters
- Salesian Lay Association for Men (SLAM)
- Salesian Retreats
- Visitation Salesian Network Monthly Themes
- Jane's Journal Newsletter
Fides & Scientia Speaker Series
First Friday Adoration
First Friday Rosary with the Visitation Fathers' Club
Loving Life, Living Jesus Reflections
Salesian Friends Group with the Sisters
Salesian Lay Association for Men (SLAM)
Salesian Retreats
Visitation Salesian Network Monthly Themes
Jane's Journal Newsletter
Georgetown Visitation is one of four Visitation schools supported by the Sisters of the Visitation. As members of the Visitation Salesian Network, we work together to support and maintain a consistent Salesian identity among our schools. Every five years, each Visitation school is asked to evaluate how they believe they are living their mission. In the fall of 2019, Georgetown Visitation embarked on our own Salesian assessment process to measure the vitality of the Salesian charism in our school.
Through self-reflection (in the form of community surveys and focus groups) and thoughtful observation from representatives of our national Visitation Salesian Network, we learned more about what is working well here on 35th Street and how we can continue to grow.
Salesian Events
- Founders' Day
- Salesian Soup for the Soul
- Pilgrimages to Annecy, France
- VISTORY
- Salesian Leadership Camp
Nurturing the Mind and Heart: Salesian Wisdom for Raising Teen Girls is the podcast where Catholic values and Salesian wisdom meet modern insights for guiding your teen daughter through the joys and challenges of adolescence. Join us twice a month as we explore the teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal as well as expert advice from Visitation educators, counselors, and real-life parents. Whether you're seeking to nurture her faith, navigate struggles, or simply connect on a deeper level, we've got the guidance and support you need for every step of her high school journey. Let's embrace this transformative time together, one episode at a time.
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Salesian Resources
An ever-expanding library of classic and contemporary Salesian Spirituality resources is available in the Salesian Center and St. Bernard Library to support our community's Salesian education and formation.
Additionally, we offer the following resources for our Visitation community and all our Salesian family:
- Loving Life, Living Jesus Reflections: Visitation offers a weekly email spiritual reflection for members and friends of our Visitation family near and far. Loving Life, Living Jesus celebrates the spirit of love so beautifully lived in the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth in the mystery of the Visitation.
- Nurturing the Mind and Heart Podcast: A bi-weekly podcast that brings together Catholic values, Salesian wisdom, and modern insights for guiding your teen daughter through the joys and challenges of adolescence.
- Salesian Chatbot: Drawing exclusively on the teachings of St. Francis de Sales, including Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God, it is a digital assistant designed to embody his gentle, positive, and compassionate spirit and wisdom (see below!).
The Sisters of the Visitation and DeSales Resource & Ministries, Inc. each sponsor a web presence for their charism and ministries.
- "Visitation Spirit" - A online ministry of the Second Federation of the Visitation in the United States that promotes the spirituality of Sts. Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal.
- Embraced by God - Resources for joyful living inspired by Sts. Francis and Jane.
Salesian Chatbot
Visitation's Salesian chatbot was designed by Hope Dickson '25 and her peers in the Cubs Who Code club. Drawing exclusively on the teachings of St. Francis de Sales, including Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God, it is a digital assistant designed to embody his gentle, positive, and compassionate spirit and wisdom. Rooted in the Salesian virtues of kindness, patience, and joyful optimism, the chatbot is programmed to respond with warmth and respect.
Please note that this is an AI-powered chatbot; it is not a human and does not have personal emotions or experiences. While it aims to offer guidance in the spirit of kindness and encouragement, it should not be considered a substitute for professional advice or personal human interaction.
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Salesian Reflections
Loving Life, Living Jesus
In order to share the charism of the Sisters of the Visitation, Georgetown Visitation offers a weekly digital spiritual reflection for members and friends of our Visitation family near and far. "Loving Life, Living Jesus" celebrates the spirit of love so beautifully lived in the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth in the mystery of the Visitation.
This spiritual friendship was later modeled in St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal and continues in the loving community of the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary. We share this gift by offering these meditations written by members of the Visitation community. We hope they are examples of how Salesian Spirituality thrives within the people we know and love, and we pray that these reflections edify your own efforts to Live Jesus.
Loving Life, Living Jesus Reflections
Sign up here to receive weekly Salesian reflections.
Want to contribute a reflection? Please email reflection@visi.org to learn more.
Little Virtues
![Hospitality]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705089925/visiorg/u8rphaxtlw4dnncakle3/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705089925/visiorg/u8rphaxtlw4dnncakle3/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-1.jpg","width":496}])
"Hospitality does not consist in putting on banquets but in glad welcome."
- St. Francis de Sales
![Humility]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705089910/visiorg/rpq1ivlqkumxnfzmevng/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705089910/visiorg/rpq1ivlqkumxnfzmevng/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-2.jpg","width":496}])
"Just as humility perfects us with respect to God, gentleness perfects us with respect to our neighbor."
- St. Francis de Sales
![Thoughtful Concern for Others]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705089898/visiorg/edztihnwc2a5efwlxyfc/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-3.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705089898/visiorg/edztihnwc2a5efwlxyfc/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-3.jpg","width":496}])
"Let us help our neighbor cordially by our prayers, and render them all the services in our power; for it is in this that our love and charity must be shown."
- St. Jane de Chantal
![Patience]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705089885/visiorg/d1eyzviritjdeaxji5hd/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-4.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705089885/visiorg/d1eyzviritjdeaxji5hd/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-4.jpg","width":496}])
"May you obtain the gift of patience by fashioning your heart according to God's will, accepting the crosses which come to you whether by a brush, a hammer, or a chisel."
- St. Francis de Sales
![Gentleness]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705089870/visiorg/e5hoknwnhqq5fdvw4b2a/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-5.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1705089870/visiorg/e5hoknwnhqq5fdvw4b2a/23-24SalesianLittleVirtues-5.jpg","width":496}])
“If you wish to acquire the spirit of the Visitation, you must avoid all over-eagerness, doing everything in a spirit of gentleness and humility.”
- St. Jane de Chantal
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About the St. Jane de Chantal Salesian Center
The Center's mission is to ensure that the Sisters’ gentle, inspired common sense approach to living a faith-filled life continues to endure, flourish, and guide all aspects of a Visitation education into our third century and beyond. The Center is built on four guiding pillars:
- Faith Formation: Creating diverse offerings to support our community’s understanding and embrace of Salesian Spirituality.
- Leadership and Living Our Faith Through Service: Cultivating and energizing our students and alumnae to be leaders in the Church, the community, and the world through voice, witness, and deed—"Living Jesus" in all that they do.
- Engagement Beyond the Green Gate: Sharing the inspired writings and teachings of St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal, and the Sisters of the Visitation within and beyond our campus.
- Preserving Our Past: Carefully preserving our archival documents, photographs, and objects that celebrate our two centuries of history, and making our rich story and traditions accessible through multimedia.
To carry out this important work, our Director works collaboratively with the Sisters of the Visitation, campus ministry, Christian service, and theology departments to create meaningful ways for our lay community to be the hands and voice of our Salesian charism as we witness the Sisters’ beautiful way of Living Jesus.
The school archivist leads the Center’s efforts to collect, preserve, and make available the primary and secondary source materials that chronicle the history and spiritual heritage of Georgetown Visitation.
