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.
DEAREST LORD, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve Thee as Thou deservest; to give, and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to seek reward, save that of knowing that I do Thy Will, O Lord. Amen
The prayer above was taken from the book: SPECIAL DEVOTIONS Compiled for Children of the Sacred Heart - Revised Edition 1956
Mary Kay Farley passed away July 29,
2014 at Hiland Cottage of Hospice of Little Traverse Bay. She had lived a long
and happy life and went to the promised land with a smile on her face.
Mary Kay was born in Detroit, Mi. in
1935 the daughter of Emmet and Frances (Carney) Tracy. She graduated from the
Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grosse Pointe, Mi. She then attended
Manhattanville College and Loyola (Chicago) School of Social Work graduating in
1959. She married James D. Farley in Grosse Pointe, Mi. on Feb. 27, 1960.
As an athlete, winning was important to
Mary Kay, but good sportsmanship was more important. She was an honor girl at
Moss Lake summer camp and learned to be a cheerful winner and a graceful loser.
These traits carried throughout her lifetime. She enjoyed golf and won 24 club
championships at 6 separate clubs. She probably lost 50 or more as she entered
every contest that offered a trophy or plate as a prize. "Showing Up"
was her mantra and she often won because few others chose to compete. She was a
long-time member of the United States Senior Women's Golf Association and
played in their competitions until she could no longer play golf.
Mary Kay was especially devoted to
orthopedics as her youngest son was born with Scoliosis. She observed his
treatments at a hospital for special surgery in New York and became a hospital
trustee in 1980. She was also an officer and director of Orthopedic Research
and Education Foundation (OREF), an arm of the American Academy of Orthopedics.
She was named an honorary orthopedic surgeon when she retired from the OREF
board in 2001.
Mary Kay is survived by her husband, 4
children, 2 of their spouses, 6 grandchildren, her brother Emmet Tracy Jr, and
her sister Denice Summers, also surviving are 7 sisters-in-law, 3
brothers-in-law and 35 nieces and nephews. She was preceeded in death by her
brother Thomas Tracy.
Her special qualities were her
organizational ability, her generosity of spirit and her cheerful disposition.
She was never depressed even when battling pancreatic cancer. She was a true
daughter of Detroit and loved every moment of her early years spent there. She
also cherished the many summers she spent in northern Michigan.
Having known true joy on earth, she
expected to encounter it again in Heaven. If you sink an especially long putt
or score an unbid grand slam in bridge, think of her.
In lieu of flowers the family requests
that donations be made to the Regents of the University of Michigan (for the
medical school's pancreatic cancer research), University of Michigan Office of
University Development, 3003 S. State St., Suite 8000, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1288
or to the Society of the Sacred Heart (Retirement Fund), Society of Sacred
Heart Mission Advancement Office, 4120 Forest Park Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108.
The Mass of the Resurrection will take
place on Saturday Aug. 2, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic
Church in Harbor Springs, Mi. Fr. Joseph Graff will be the celebrant. Friends
may arrive at the church beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday. Interment will take
place in Holy Childhood Cemetery in Harbor Springs.
The family entrusted Schiller Funeral
Home for the arrangements. Online shared memories and condolences may be made
at stonefuneralhomeinc.com.
Published in
GreenwichTime on July 30, 2014
"What will matter
is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many
people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What
will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What
will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what."
The above is taken from part of the poem "What Will Matter" by
Michael Josephson.
To read the article about Sprout Creek Farm inside this Esprit de Coeur issue click here
Earlier today, I was thinking of my two RSCJ friends (Georgie Blaeser and Margo Morris) who live in Poughkeepsie, New York and run Sprout Creek Farm. I was thinking how delicious their cheese would be on some home grown tomatoes. Lo and behold, this afternoon I received the following email, along with a link to a wonderful documentary, featuring Sprout Creek Farm from Margo Morris. I'm passing on the sunshine to you! And, if you have never ordered their cheese, I highly recommend that you do so... it's delicious!
Sprout Creek Farm is a center for eduction, farming and community building. The farm provides an environment where using the building blocks for positive action will inspire innovative and broader solutions for a better future for children. Farm to Life showcases some of the young adults who benefit from their programs. Enjoy the documentary below!
Filmmaker Sean Tracy has made a beautiful 90 second documentary featuring Sprout Creek Farm's farmers and program participants. The video is part of Unilever's "Project Sunlight," an initiative that tells the stories of people "creating a brighter future for our children."
Please watch and share if you need a little sunlight on this cloudy Monday.
Sprout Creek Farm is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating children and adults about agriculture, the environment, and our special role to understand, protect, and heal planet Earth, our home. Donate now
Learn more about Sprout Creek Farm in the 2012 Fall issue of Esprit de Coeur magazine.
"Joy is the song or psalm of the spirit under the pressure of happiness, and to give God the fullest and best service possible, we must train our spirit to sing the psalm continually."
Janet Erskine Stuart RSCJ (1857-1914)
6th Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart
The above quote is taken from the perpetual spiral-bound calendar "The Life Lived" which celebrates the Centenary of Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ - (click here to order). And, to order your very own Janet Erskine Stuart Centenary Memorabilia - click here.
Center photo back row L-R: Luke Reed, Lynette Toohey RSCJ and Anne Corry RSCJ (partially hidden) Front row L-R: Phil Tiernan RSCJ, Janet O'Sullivan, Helen Sinclair, and Rita Carroll RSCJ
July 19th "Soul touches soul, words and other contacts are not necessary... God allows the paths to cross, that souls may waken in each other the deeper springs that for the most part lie untouched."
Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ (1857 - 1914)
6th Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart
The above quote is taken from the perpetual spiral-bound calendar "The Life Lived" which celebrates the Centenary of Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ - (click here to order). And, to order your very own Janet Erskine Stuart Centenary Memorabilia - click here.
The above collage of photos were all taken in England during the Janet Erskine Stuart Centenary Celebrations. As a very large group of RSCJ, Sacred Heart Educators and Alums, we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart together on Friday, June 27th. The next day many went via bus to Cottesmore to visit the birthplace and home of Janet Erskine Stuart and from Sunday, June 29th until Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014 we all were immersed in what was referred to as The Seeking Spirit Programme.
Approximately 82 of the 112 attendees were members of the Society of the Sacred Heart, little did anyone know that one of the attendees who was enjoying a summer sabbatical would never return to her home in Australia. Mary Philomene "Phil" Tiernan was born on June 17, 1937. Phil entered the Society of the Sacred Heart and made her First Vows on August 9, 1959. She made her final profession on July 21, 1965. Tragically, Sr. Tiernan was on board Malaysian Airline Flight MH17, which was shot down over the Ukraine on July 18, 2014. Shortly after making first vows Sr. Phil taught at Stuartholme and later at Kincoppal-Rose Bay where she worked for more than 30 years as teacher and director of boarding. She also served as Provincial of the Australia/New Zealand Province from 1993 - 1999. Sr. Tiernan was lovingly referred to as "a grandma that everyone just loved" by current students. Alumna, Lucy Thackray said, "Sister Philomene Tiernan was one of those all-too-rare people that made everyone she met feel special." The Honorable Malcolm Turnbull, tweeted, "Many women including my wife and daughter Daisy were inspired by the love of Sr. Phil Tiernan, RSCJ. God bless her and all who died in MH17." Sr. Aideen Kinlen, RSCJ and Sr. Tiernan had been together on retreat in France where they visited the home of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, Foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Joigny and also the reliquary in the church of St. Francis Xavier in Paris. Prior to this trip, Sr. Tiernan was enrolled in a faith and spirituality renewal course at All Hallows College for the entire month of May. Sr. Kinlen stated that "Sr. Phil really loved her stay in Ireland and said it was 'great craic' here." I met Sr. Phil Tiernan in England where she had come to take part in the Janet Erskine Stuart Centenary Celebrations. We had an opportunity to dine together and afterward it was easy to see why she was so loved and revered by fellow educators, current students and alumnae. In conversation she was like a magnet that drew you in with her warm smile. We both shared the pride of having roots in Ireland. This summer also brought Sr. Tiernan and a few family members to the Netherlands where her Uncle Patrick E. T. Tiernan would be remembered as a war hero. Patrick Tiernan left Murgon in 1942 and joined the army and became an airman for RAAF. ironicly Sr. Tiernan's Uncle Pat who was flying a Halifax MZ715 bomber was shot down on June 16, 1944. Seventy years after her Uncle's death, Sr. Tiernan along with other relatives gathered at the Dodewaard Cemetery to pay tribute to him. Aideen Kinlen who knew Phil for over twenty years states that while in retreat together the subject of death came up and Sr. Kinlen shared a poem entitled "What Will Matter" which Sr. Tiernan indicated she looked forward to sharing with others stating, "Oh that's wonderful, I'm taking that home to Australia with me."
"What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone."
by Michael Jospehson 2003
Photo of Phil Tiernan above by Sr. Mary Schumacher, RSCJ
Elaine Stritch, a 1943 graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Detroit, Michigan (Lawrence Ave.) and Duchesne Residence School in N.Y. has died of natural causes. Elaine lived for many years at the Carlyle Hotel in New York where she performed at Cafe Carlyle. As her health was failing, Elaine decided to move back to her hometown in Michigan last year so that she could be near her sister's children. Elaine was married to John Bay who died in 1982. Her parents, George and Mildred Stritch, as well as, sister's Georgene Moran and Sally Bolton all predeceased her.
A documentary on her incredible life and career was released earlier this year and the DVD "Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me" was released on June 24th.
"We always require to remind ourselves of this - that the things of faith transcend the things of reason; that things are not what they appear; that we are walking among symbols and parables and shadows and promises."
Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ (1857 - 1914)
6th Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart
The above quote is taken from the perpetual spiral-bound calendar "The Life Lived" which celebrates the Centenary of Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ - (click here to order). And, to order your very own Janet Erskine Stuart Centenary Memorabilia - click here.
"We are all God's property, and our life must be one wild bird's song of praise, one wild flower's face looking up to God."
Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ (1857 - 1914)
6th Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart
The above quote is taken from the perpetual spiral-bound calendar "The Life Lived" which celebrates the Centenary of Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ - (click here to order). And, to order your very own Janet Erskine Stuart Centenary Memorabilia - click here.
