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| Claude Demoustier, RSCJ as seen on the hollow grounds of Grand Coteau |
From the Society of the Sacred Heart - U.S. Province
Claude
Demoustier, RSCJ, Educator and Administrator,
Dies in California
Religious of the Sacred Heart Marie-Thérèse
Claude Demoustier died Sunday, September 2, at Oakwood, the Society of the
Sacred Heart’s elder care center in Atherton, California. She was 72. Her life
will be celebrated in a Mass of Resurrection Saturday, October 13 at 10:00 a.m.
at Oakwood, 140 Valparaiso Avenue, Atherton, CA 94027. Burial will be in the
Sacred Heart cemetery in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, where Sister Demoustier
attended high school and later served as director of students as well as headmistress.
It is also where she was introduced to the Society of the Sacred Heart.
Claude Demoustier was born July
31, 1940 in Pointe à Pierre, Trinidad, West Indies, the oldest of five
daughters of Marc and Germaine de Verteuil Demoustier, both deceased. Her
father worked for an oil company, so the family relocated many times and lived
in France, Trinidad, Martinique, the United States, Venezuela and Switzerland.
As a result, Sister Demoustier became proficient in several languages, which
served her well in the international Society of the Sacred Heart.
She is survived by her sisters
France (Mrs. Vincent) Balay, Christiane (Mrs. Guy) Delahaie, Nicole Demoustier
and Geneviève (Mrs. Olivier) de Reynal, all of whom now reside in France. She
entered the Society of the Sacred Heart October 20, 1963 at Kenwood in Albany.
She professed first vows in April, 1966 and final vows in Joigny, France,
September 10, 1972. She became an American citizen in July of 1983.
Since 2010, Sister Demoustier
served the international Society of the Sacred Heart’s general council as
secretary general in Rome, until illness prompted her to return to the United
States this summer. She had earlier served in the motherhouse Secretariat,
2000-04.
Sister Demoustier’s earliest
ministries were at Sacred Heart schools around the country where she taught
French, Spanish, English and religion. Her first teaching position, in 1968,
was at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, the oldest school in the
Network of Sacred Heart Schools, founded by St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. The
following year, she served as director of students and religion teacher at the
Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans, before returning to the Academy in St.
Charles for two years. In 1971, she returned to her alma mater, the Academy of
the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, Louisiana, where she stayed until 1977. She
then served as director of students at Villa Duchesne Academy, St. Louis, Missouri,
1977-91.
In 1991, Sister Demoustier
became headmistress at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest,
Illinois, where she remained until she was called to serve the international
Society in Rome in 2000. When she returned to the United States, she served as
campus minister and teacher at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Houston,
2004-07 and as headmistress of the Schools of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau.
Her friend and former colleague Debby
Watson said, “I had the great privilege of teaching and working with Claude for
many years. Her friendship was a great gift. Claude had a way of connecting
with so many people. Her gift of relationships was like Madeleine Sophie’s and
her gift of “simple duty daily done” was like Philippine Duchesne. I am honored
to have called her friend. Her life’s work was the mission of the Society of
the Sacred Heart – she lived it well and taught all of us along the way.”
Sister Demoustier earned her Bachelor
of Arts degree from Maryville University in St. Louis, also a school founded by
the Society of the Sacred Heart. She later earned a master’s degree from St.
Louis University.
Besides being credentialed to
teach French, Spanish and English, Sister Demoustier had special skills in
drawing, calligraphy, design and sewing.
She also loved reading and sports. She was a member of the Community Development
Team in St. Louis from 1973-1976, the Network School Committee from 1983-1985,
and the Board of Trustees at Duchesne in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1988 to
1991.
Memorial contributions may be
made to the Society of the Sacred Heart, 4120 Forest Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO
63108.
The Society of the Sacred
Heart was founded in France in 1800 by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat and brought
to the United States by St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in 1818. There are 330
members in the United States Province and more than 2,500 professed members in
41 countries. Members of the Society are committed to discover, live and
announce God’s love through the service of education for transformation, in
diverse ministries, particularly addressing the needs of children, young
people, women and those in society who are marginalized.
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One heart
and one mind in the Heart of Jesus.
