Musings, News and Quotes relative to the Society of the Sacred Heart and its Alumni ... past, present and future. This blog also has links to other Sacred Heart websites. One feature is a list of books by Sacred Heart alum authors.
Tomorrow is one of my most favorite annual Sacred Heart events. I am so pleased to see that this year Betty Jane Fisher will be honored! Also, to learn that a very generous donor has agreed to underwrite the full cost of the luncheon, thus enabling your contribution to be fully Tax Deductible and will be used to support the retired RSCJ. If you are planning on going to the lunch and have yet to say so, please contact Julianne Mattimore, President of Florida Gold Coast AASH. Also, mark your calendar and plan on coming later this month to the Annual AASH Day of Reflection - details below.
Kudos to the LUNCHEON COMITTEE:Mary Kay Tracy Farley, Kathy Fay, Patrice Kamps O'Grady, Terry Pfeil, Kim Baxter Polley, Sandra Steinthal Powell, and Doli E. Rodriquez
Annual AASH Day of Reflection
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Moderator: Fr. Robert Randall
St. Edward Church
144 North County Line Road, Palm Beach, Florida 33480
ORDER of the DAY
9:30 A.M. Registration & Coffee (in Parish Center)
10:00 A.M. Meditation (in the Church)
10:45 A.M. Quiet Time
RECONCILIATION (optional)
11:15 A.M. Meditation
12:00 Celebration of the Eucharist
12:30 P.M. Lunch - Brown Bag (bring your own) in the Parish Center
"We need a means to encourage the soul, to nourish it and raise it over itself. The means of all means is the Spirit who vivifies and makes fruitful... This Spirit becomes the breath of the soul. Would to God each one may exclaim, 'I begin today!'"
~ St. Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865)
Founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart
The above quote was taken from The Wisdom of Madeleine Sophie Barat - Day by Day Calendar. To order a copy of the calendar (Cost: $10.00 + postage) - click here.
Desiree Rogers, RA'77 CEO of Johnson Publishing Company
On Wednesday, February 26, 2014, Josephinum Academy will welcome 300 of its friends and supporters, consisting of some of Chicago's finest civic and public leaders, to the Union League Club of Chicago for its annual Winter Lunch. This year's keynote speaker will be Desiree Rogers, former White House Social Secretary, and current CEO of Johnson Publishing Company and Chairman of Choose Chicago. Rogers is a 1977 alumna of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans known as The Rosary. Proceeds from Josephinum's Winter Lunch benefit scholarships and programs for current students.
Josephinum Academy is an all-girls Catholic high school in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. It is one of twenty-two Network of Sacred Heart schools in the United States. For 123 years, Josephinum has been educating and empowering young women to become confident, faith-filled leaders. Every day, 197 students travel from 39 zip codes around the Chicagoland area to receive the quality education that will prepare them for college and life after academia.
If you wish to learn how you too can help support the Jo, please click here.
"Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me" is a ferocious, funny and poignant portrait of the one-of-a-kind Broadway legend as she reaches her 87th year.
For Further information: In Theaters, Screenings, and Special Events
New Documentary Film Honors Alumna Elaine Stritch, BH'43, DN'45
Television viewers know actor Elaine Stritch as Alec Baldwin’s mother on the hit comedy, 30 Rock, but her television presence dates over four decades. Theatre and movie enthusiasts have followed her long career that has run the gamut from musicals and comedies to dramatic roles – earning her numerous awards and a vast following.
Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights toElaine Stritch: Shoot Me, a week after the documentary made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in May 2013. Chiemi Karasawa, is the film’s producer/director, and spent a year documenting Elaine’s life and career. The move by Sundance Select will bring the film to a wider audience.
Reviews of the documentary have given Karasawa high praise for portraying a sensitive, multi-faceted glimpse into the life of Elaine Stritch – herself a complex, multi-faceted woman, whose life story has all the elements of great theatre. And it all began 87 years ago in Detroit, Michigan.
Born on Feb. 2, 1925 (some sources state 1926) and raised the youngest of three girls in Detroit. She was the daughter of a well-to-do rubber company executive and his homemaker wife. Elaine was the entertainer of her family – always telling stories and doing imitations to the delight of party guests. The born entertainer with an early desire for a glamorous lifestyle moved to New York City in 1944 – a year after her graduation fromThe Convent of the Sacred Hearton Lawrence Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, now located in Bloomfield Hills.
When she moved to New York, she continued her Sacred Heart education at the Duchesne Residence in Manhattan, followed by acting classes at the Dramatic Workshop of the New School for Social Research in New York.
With her enthusiastic assertiveness and drive, it wasn’t hard for Elaine to get work in regional and off-Broadway productions. And only two years after arriving in New York, Elaine Stritch made her Broadway debut. The rest, as they say, is history.
What followed were increasingly important roles
in Broadway hits. A role in the drama, The Little Foxes;
understudy to Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam during its Broadway
run and the lead role in the National Tour. As her credits grew, so did her
opportunities in television and film.
Elaine married British actor John Bay in 1972
and moved to London. Over the next 10 years, she starred in London stage
productions and television sitcoms, earning a new audience of Elaine Stritch
enthusiasts. On the big screen, she more than held her own in a dual role
opposite Sir John Gielgud and Dirk Bogarde in Alain Resnais’ fascinating film Providence.
Following the death of her husband in 1982, she moved back to New York City,
where she began teaching at the Stella Adler Conservatory and had roles in
regional productions around the country.
Once again, her roles on Broadway, American
television and film were hers for the taking. Age never held her back. At 77,
she created her one-woman success, Elaine Stritch at Liberty–
taking the show from coast-to-coast to rave revues and sold-out appearances.
Not only did she tell her story, she sang and recreated roles that had brought
her fame over the decades.
It was the resilience and diverse talents of
Elaine that brought Chiemi Karasawa to undertake the new documentary. Not only
does it follow Elaine over a year and retrace her career, but also the film
includes interviews with such luminaries as Alec Baldwin – who is also the
film’s co-executive producer – Hal Prince, Nathan Lane, Tina Fey, the late
James Gandolfini and others.
The show business “bible” Variety published
this review of Karasawa’s achievement: “Painting a surprisingly tender,
insulin-injections-and-all portrait of a star known for her brassy demeanor and
Teflon exterior, this feature directing debut for vet docu producer Chiemi
Karasawa (‘The Betrayal,’ ‘Tell Them Anything You Want’) should earn wide fest
and ancillary exposure, plus limited theatrical, where it will prove catnip to
the cabaret crowd and those entranced by the artistry of great performers.”
Sacred Heart alums include many who have
achieved fame and accolades as writers, actors, humanitarians, journalists,
artists, business leaders, philanthropists, educators and religious. Each in
her chosen field – whether overtly or covertly – is living the Sacred Heart
mission of empowerment, service and leadership.
Elaine Stritch – a Sacred Heart girl who has
touched the lives and hearts of millions. ###
Note: The above article was originally written for the Summer 2013 issue ofEsprit de Coeur Magazine.The Duchesne Residence School of the Sacred Heartwas located at 7 East 91st Street in New York (formerly the James A. and Florence Sloane Burden house, a 38-room mansion) and opened in 1940 in the building next to the Academy. The school offered post-secondary instruction in social and secretarial skills as well as early childhood education. The Duchesne Residence School at 91st Street closed in 1966, and the younger students moved into the space.
This Presidents' Day holiday treat your children or grandchildren to the recently published book Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies by Cokie Roberts. Cokie Roberts, alumna of Stone Ridge of the Sacred Heart, renown journalist and New York Times bestselling author has collaborated with Caldecott-Honor winning illustrator, Diane Goode to create this wonderful book which highlights female patriots of the American Revolution.
Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladiesintroduces the young reader to women who orchestrated the
American Revolution behind the scenes. These heroic stories highlight patriotic women such as Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Phillis Wheatley,
Mercy Otis Warren, Sarah Livingston Jay, and others. Details are gleaned from
their letters, private journals, lists, and ledgers. The bravery of these
women’s courageous acts contributed to the founding of America and spurred the
founding fathers to make this a country that “remembered the ladies.”
To learn more or order a copy of Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies - click here.
Happy Valentines Day!! Today is a popular day for proposing marriage to the one you love and just in time to help you with your wedding plans, Dana LaRue has turned a blog into a book! The Broke-Ass Bride Wedding Guideis for brides on a budget and fans of Dana LaRue's blog - the Broke-Ass Bride!
The book is available now at Amazon - click here for details on how order your copy.
To see additional books authored by Sacred Heart alums view the column on the right.
Rosemary known by fellow Sacred Heart classmates as "Heidi" is pictured above in 2012 with her daughter Betty Pozzi, BC '73 and below with Barbara Hinkes Coy, BC '72
Rosemary Heidkamp Cramer a 1946 alumna of Barat College passed away
Monday February 3, 2014 in Darien, IL, she previously lived in Mequon, WI. Rosemary
taught in the Milwaukee Public School System, earned a Fulbright Scholarship,
taught in England from 85 -86. Rosemary was active with the Miss Wisconsin
Pageant. She moved to Plainfield in 1999, directed the Carillon Chorus for 12
years, and lifetime Girl Scout. She is survived by her children Mary Linari,
John (Jinx), Betty (Joe) Pozzi, Bob (Nancy), Marjorie (Gunnar) Brinck, Thomas
(Janet), William (Carrie), Terry (Brenda), James and Hung (Tuyet); 16
grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren siblings Sister Marjorie Heidkamp B.V.M.,
Philip (Jean), Francis and Jerome (Donna) Heidkamp; many nieces and nephews.
Preceded by her parents Herbert and Mary; brother Robert and sister Mary Lou
McCall. Visitation Thursday 3 to 8 p.m. at the Anderson Memorial Home, 21131 W.
Renwick Rd. in Crest Hill. Funeral Friday February 7, 2014 visitation 9 to 10
a.m. Mass to follow at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, 8404 Cass Ave. Darien.
Donations in lieu of flowers to Sacred Heart Foundation (www.AASHNET.org) or Sisters of Charity
B.V.M. (www.BVMCONG.org). Published in the Chicago Tribune - to share a message, photo or video, click here.
Note: The following is taken from the Barat Magazine - Spring 2004 (see top photo)-
"We hear every week of Barat alumni who, in part
because their lives were transformed by Barat, have in turn transformed the
lives of others. In 2003 Rosemary Heidkamp Cramer was the well-deserved recipient of Barat’s Leadership and Service Award.
Rosemary believes that education is a life-long
journey, which takes place within and beyond institutions: in the family, in
the neighborhood, and in the community. Her commitment to the service of others
began early. During her years at Barat, surrounding the Second World War, she
assisted the Red Cross by logging 500 volunteer hours of wrapping bandages. She
volunteered for Hull House in Chicago caring for pre-school children of working
mothers. She worked with the Ladies of the Grail from Holland as they prepared
Adlai Stevenson’s Doddridge farm for European Jewish refugee children. She also
worked with the Girl Scouts in many capacities – as camp counselor, leader and
board member of the Sybaquay Council of Girl Scouting – all this while
attending Barat College, earning her Bachelors Degree in Psychology in 1946.
Rosemary spent 35 years as an educator in both the
Chicago and Milwaukee school districts. Her experience ranged from teaching at
the Spaulding School for the Orthopedically Challenged to receiving a Fulbright
Scholarship in 1984, which took her to England. Rosemary taught English at the
Northampton Middle School from 1985-1986.
She also had the honor of being presented at Court
and she is proud to say that she enjoyed high tea with Elizabeth, the “Queen
Mum”. Rosemary’s dedication to service
and volunteerism continued throughout her professional life. While working in
real estate sales, she helped to build two “Habitat for Humanity” homes in
Milwaukee as a member of the Realtor’s Association. She remained active with
the Barat College Alumni Association and the Associated Alumnae/Alumni of the
Sacred Heart (AASH). She also served as president of the Milwaukee area Sacred
Heart Alumni Association. During that period, she reinstated a Barat
Scholarship for a Milwaukee resident. She was a national delegate to the AASH
for six terms. While raising ten of her own children, Rosemary and her
wonderful family opened their home to numerous runaways, displaced and homeless
women, children of addicts in rehabilitation, five veterinary students from
Purdue University and international students requiring housing. Rosemary
happily states that her home was always open to anyone in need. As Rosemary
reflects upon her enriching experiences, she “feels privileged to have had the
opportunity to share in the diverse cultures of all these individuals.
”Presently, Rosemary shares her many talents with the Carillon, Illinois
Community Chorus and Theatre Guild as their director. The chorus consists of 70
members ranging in age from 55-89 years of age. They entertain four times a
year within the community of Carillon, but their greatest pleasure is
presenting their musicals to nursing homes, rehab centers, churches, hospitals
and senior centers.
Rosemary has created a Barat legacy within her
family. She has three daughters, a granddaughter and grand-son-in-law who are
all Barat graduates!
There is no doubt that Rosemary Cramer has touched
numerous lives with her enormous generosity, compassion, intelligence, beauty,
energy and wit."
Having attended the beautiful and most memorable funeral mass on Friday, February 7th, I'd like to share part of the program (see below from the mass booklet). The mass was a true celebration of a remarkable woman who led by example. Rosemary's faith was a most obvious guiding influence that impelled her to persevere throughout difficult times in her life. I kept seeing her smiling throughout the mass and eulogy. I'm certain that Rosemary would have been very proud of the way her closing act was choreographed by her ten children! Kudos to those that carry on her spirit and love of God!
ROSEMARY
A constant presence in our lives.
A scout on life's journey pointing the way to womanhood.
Generous optimist able to see possibilities where shadows blinded others.
Creative-almost god-like-in making
something out of nothing.
Standing up to crushing burdens and emerging with deepened faith
in an ever present God
Hardworking imaginative career choices kept family together against all odds.
