Feast of St. John Francis Regis

St. John Francis Regis (1597-1640)
as seen in the Round House located on the grounds of the 
Academy of the Sacred Heart - Saint Charles, MO

June 16, 2013 ~ Today is the Feast of St. John Francis Regis.  The significance of this feast day is the affection St. Rose Philippine Duchesne had for him.  Regis was considered to be Philippine's favorite Saint. Additionally, Regis School of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas is one of twenty-two Network of Sacred Heart Schools in the United States that bears his name.

Jean Francis Regis was born in the southern region of France, he began his study of theology at Toulouse in 1628 and entered the Society of Jesus at age thirty-one.  In 1640 Regis became ill and died of pneumonia at the age of forty-three on December 30, 1640.  He was beatified in 1719 and canonized on April 5, 1737.  He is known as the patron saint of lace makers as he helped many young girls living in the country establish themselves in the lacemaking and embroidery trade which kept them away from the cities and a life on the streets living as prostitutes.

Prayer to St. John Francis Regis:

Zealous worker for souls, you wrought many miracles and labored for all classes of people, but especially to convert the Huguenots. To you St. John Vianney of Ars attributed both his vocation and his spiritual successes. Make social workers go about doing good not as mere humanitarians but as messengers of Christ who have a supernatural love for their clients. Amen.

Deep in the Heart - AASH Southern Regional Meeting

Alums from the Southern Region met in Houston, Texas and appropriately the conference theme was Deep in the Heart.  A special Fiesta Celebration was planned at Regis School on Friday evening and we all received a warm welcome by Dr. Nancy Taylor, Head of School.   On Saturday morning as we gathered at Duchesne Academy we were greeted by the following ten RSCJ: Srs. Jan Dunn, Lynn Lieux, Adele Caire, Anne Caire, Sharon Karam, Melanie Guste, Bonnie Kearney, Diane Roche, Sheila Hammond, and Georgeann Parizek

Beth Speck, AASH Past President and Director of Admissions at Duchesne Academy greeted all with much enthusiasm and then proudly introduced Patricia Swenson, the New Head of School, who gave us an overview of her background and a beautiful reflection about Philippine.

Keynote speaker, Melanie Guste, RSCJ gave a thought provoking talk followed by a slide presentation entitled "Philippine Duchesne: A Spirituality of Mission in Today's World"and afterwards four RSCJ (Bonnie Kearney, Diane Roche, Georgeann Parizek and Sheila Hammond) participated in a panel entitled "Living the Mission of Philippine Duchesne".  They shared with the group their background, how they came to know they had a vocation as well as their current ministries.

After lunch we heard from alums representing both Duchesne Houston and Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. Jane Jachimczyk Hayman, who moderated the discussion and response to the mission of Philippine Duchesne asked thought provoking questions which presented an array of viewpoints.

A beautiful Mass of Everlasting Life was held in the Sacred Heart Chapel followed by a most delicious buffet dinner hosted in the White House by the Duchesne Academy Alumnae Association.