2022 - 2023 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speaker Series
The Mums of Alums of Villa Duchesne group presents the 2022-2023 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speaker Series: Part II: "The Eucharist: Transformation and Calling."
This series seeks to deepen understanding of the fullness of the Eucharistic Gift and enable us to better respond to the simple, but profound question which launched the series last year: What is the "This" which Christ commanded of us in the Eucharist, "Do This in Remembrance of Me?"
Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart, described her prophetic vision for the Society:
That is it, I said to myself, as I was praying before a lonely tabernacle, we must dedicate ourselves to the education of youth, renew in souls the solid foundations of a living faith in the Blessed Sacrament ... We will raise up a multitude of adorers from all the nations, to the very ends of the earth.
We see here that the Eucharist lies at the Heart of the Society's foundation and mission. And, we as disciples, are invited to follow in Sophie's wisdom and footsteps as we embrace the journey of the Heart.
Presentation Dates
Friday, November 4, 2022: "Praying the Eucharist with Our Lives" by Barbara Quinn, RSCJ (see recording below)
Friday, February 3, 2023: "The Eucharist: A Sacrament of Transformation and Reconciliation" by Sharon Karam, RSCJ (see recording below)
Friday, March 3, 2023: "The Eucharist: What Does It Impel us To Do?" by Lynne Lieux, RSCJ (see recording below)
Praying the Eucharist with Our Lives | November 4, 2022
Have you ever noticed that the rhythm of the Eucharist seems rather similar to the rhythm of our lives?! Likewise, it calls us to fashion our lives by drawing on the depth and witness of its movements. Barbara Quinn, RSCJ, shares a reflection on the Eucharist, and invites us to see and to respond to this central mystery of our faith.
Barbara Quinn, RSCJ, has been serving as the Associate Director of Spiritual Formation at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry since 2011. Prior to that, Sister Quinn worked at the Spirituality Ministry Center in San Diego for three years and at the University of San Diego for 10 years as the founding director of the Center for Christian Spirituality. Sister Quinn has worked in formation for the Society of the Sacred Heart, as director of the vocations team and as director of candidates. She has served as a trustee for Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, and most recently at Sacred Heart Greenwich. Sister Quinn has given many talks throughout the Network of the Sacred Heart Schools as well as facilitated retreats for the Society of the Sacred Heart in Uganda, India, Japan, Australia, and Ireland.
The Eucharist: Sacrament of Transformation and Reconciliation | February 3, 2023
Do we forget that the Eucharist is a Sacrament of reconciliation? Sharon Karam, RSCJ, proposes to examine the transforming power of the Eucharist as reconciling us to God in Christ. She will reflect on some of the more powerful elements of several Eucharistic prayers and prefaces in an effort to have us better attend to the language of our faith and our longing.
Sharon Karam, RSCJ, has ministered both in the classroom and as an educational administrator in six different Network of Sacred Heart Schools member schools. She has previously served on the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States – Canada, Provincial Team and on the Network of Sacred Heart Schools Formation to Mission committee. She serves on a nonprofit board for Angela House in Houston, Texas, which serves women exiting incarceration. Sister Karam is highly sought after as a lecturer and leads retreats for fellow RSCJ, Network school faculty and alumnae, and other groups. Academic credentials include degrees from Maryville University, Washington University, Tulane University, and Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
The Eucharist: What Does It Impel us To Do? | March 3, 2023
Pope Francis has frequently spoken of the transformational nature of the Eucharist. "We become what we receive." If as Francis has repeatedly suggested, receiving the Eucharist makes us resemble Jesus a little more, should we believe that receiving the Eucharist opens our eyes and hearts to the needs of the world? We should ask ourselves upon receiving the Eucharist, "Does this sacrament make me a better disciple of Jesus?" If we believe in the transformational nature of the sacrament, the answer, the answer is "yes," and therefore, each time we receive the Eucharist we should be made more aware of the needs of brothers and sisters. In this talk, Lynne Lieux, RSCJ, will help us to understand how the Eucharist calls us to respond as disciples of Jesus, and specifically, how as members of the Sacred Heart family, we may see those calls through the lens of the vision of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat.
Lynne Lieux, RSCJ, PhD, is currently a member of the Provincial Team of the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States – Canada Province. Sister. Lieux has spent most of her adult life working in Sacred Heart schools as a teacher, dean of students, upper school head, and head of school. She is serving or has served as a trustee of several Sacred Heart schools and of Maryville University. Keenly interested in the use of technology to enhance the educational experience, she was responsible for implementing one of the first one-to-one computing programs in the United States.
The Sacred Heart Spirituality Series is sponsored by the Mums of Alums at Villa Duchesne for the benefit of the entire Sacred Heart community. This series represents the Mums' effort to participate in the stewardship of the vision of Saint Madeleine Sophie - a second sowing of the Sacred Heart mission by parents who gave to their children the gift of Sacred Heart education, and who continue to cherish Life at the Sacred Heart. All are most welcome!
