On March 2, 2013 the Gold Coast Sacred Heart Alumnae hosted their Twenty Fifth Annual Sacred Heart Luncheon. Proceeds for this annual event go to the RSCJ Retirement Fund. This was a special anniversary in many respects. The idea of a luncheon was first conceived by Jean Ward and Mimi Morgan Phelan Welsh two alums from Manhattanville.
During the luncheon we honored
Mary Kay Tracy Farley an alumna of Grosse Pointe and Manhattanville. As her business card reads Mary Kay is a "Wife, Mother, Sportswoman and Philanthropist" but most of all she has a passion for life and giving back to causes that are near and dear to her. The Society of the Sacred Heart has held a special place in Mary Kay's heart. Mary Kay openly talked about her recent diagnosis with pancreatic cancer and gratefully told us that after many months of chemotherapy and the Whipple operation in September 2012 she is on the road to recovery. She then asked the cancer survivors in the room to stand. What a powerful moment this was as every table had at least one or more Sacred Heart alums who proudly stood to be recognized as a cancer survivor. A true testament of their courage and faith. To learn more about Mary Kay and her incredible journey -
click here to read her Caring Bridge Journal.
Julianne Mattimore, President of the Gold Coast AASH invited Shirley Miller, RSCJ Director of Mission Advancement for the Society of the Sacred Heart to give an update on the Society. Sister
Miller gave highlights of the In Mission for Life campaign which began five years ago and concluded successfully with a very generous pledge of $8,000,000. Sister Miller expressed the deep gratitude of all the religious and said, "thank you all for your
generous support of the Religious of the Sacred Heart and our elderly sisters
for 25 years and so faithfully connecting with one another all these years and
keeping the Sacred Heart mission alive".
Sister Miller shared the following:
· "Today in the Society:
o
330 RSCJ in US,
2,500 world-wide – 18 RSCJ in Canada
o
We live out the
educational and spiritual mission of the Society in many ways: Network of Sacred Heart schools, in
universities, and other educational institutions, in spirituality centers, with
groups working directly with the poor, in provincial administration, at Oakwood
and in Albany with our elderly sisters, as counselors, chaplains,
administrators in parishes
o
International
service – Rome at the mother house, Kathleen Conan, an American, is superior
general and in Uganda, Kenya, Mexico, Haiti, Indonesia
o
50 retired
sisters at Oakwood in Atherton, CA
o
30 retired
sisters in Albany – at Teresian House, Abba House and Avila
· The larger Sacred Heart family:
o
48,000 alums
o
135 associates
o
1,000 Children of
Mary
o
12,000 students
enrolled annually in SH schools
o
At least 24,000
parents
o
2,000 faculty and
staff
o
400 trustees
· That’s a lot of love being poured out on the world.
This “little Society” as St.
Madeleine Sophie called the Society, has expanded over the years to include all of these
groups and benefactors and friends and colleagues, greatly enlarging the 213
year old mission of MAKING KNOWN THE LOVE OF THE HEART OF CHRIST.
Although there are fewer
RSCJ, the new wine of hundreds of thousands of lay people has burst from the
old wineskins and alumnae and alumni, families, friends, collaborators,
associates, Network schools, benefactors- are all involved in the educational
and spiritual mission of this great little Society."
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