Events

Our Class of 2020 received their "trick or treat" packages with the help of so many 2020 Mums...Thank You!

Mark your calendars for our 2020-2021 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speaker Series.
Click on each series below for more detailed information.

November 6, 2020 - Heart Response Team of the Sacred Heart
February 5, 2021 - Lyn Osiek, rscj
March 5, 2021 - Shirley Miller, rscj

Overview for the 2020 - 2021 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speakers' Series
"PRAYER AND REFLECTION"

Prayer, adoration, reflection, and contemplation are at the heart of Saint Madeleine Sophie's vision for
the Society of the Sacred Heart. In the 1815 Abridged Plan for the Institute, she affirmed: the Spirit
of the Society is essentially based on prayer and the interior life....

Years later, Madeleine Sophie recollected her epiphany at the foundation:
That is it, I said to myself, as I was praying before a lonely tabernacle: we must dedicate ourselves to the education of young people; 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.

So, it is in this spiritual, almost mystical, experience of the adoration of the Heart of Jesus, that the Society was called to both contemplative prayer and apostolic life, thus establishing from its foundation the intrinsic relationship of prayer and mission. At the very inception of the Society, Madeleine Sophie's vision was to create and to build a community around the Eucharist, nourished by contemplative prayer and adoration. The purpose of the Society of the Sacred Heart - to discover and to reveal the love of Christ - is achieved through the unitive approach of both the internal work of prayer, as well as the external work of education.

The 2020 - 2021 Sacred Heart Spirituality Speakers' Series, scheduled for First Fridays November 6, February 5, and March 5, will explore themes, methods, modes, and Sacred Heart resources for Prayer and Reflection. Please note that at least the November 6 presentation will be held virtually via Zoom. Locations and specific details for February 5 and March 5 to be determined and communicated at a later date.

All are most welcome!

The Alum Day of Service Drive this year was a success! We donated these items to The Little BIt Foundation and Nurses For Newborns. Thanks to our amazing alum community!

• 3024 baby wipes
• 1768 Diapers
• 13 pounds of formula
• 210 pairs of socks
• 260 pairs of underwear 
• 180 glue sticks
• 144 crayons
• 144 pencils
• 70 markers
• 70 colored pencils
• 70 books

The Villa Duchesne-City House Alumnae Association invites you to join us for our Alum Day of Service as we live out our Sacred Heart Goal 3 - social awareness which impels to action. As we had to redesign our events for the year, this was the perfect opportunity to serve those in need in our community through a donation drive.

Nurses for Newborns and The Little Bit Foundation are charities helping the needs of St. Louis babies, toddlers, and youth. While we cannot physically volunteer at these organizations, they have items they need to serve the community. Please visit the Amazon Wish Lists that we have created and bring your items to campus starting at 7:30 am on Wednesday, November 18 through 3:30 pm on Friday, November 20, 2020. Bins will be available to drop-off items off the main drive at the Gueck Family Pavilion, adjacent to Condie Field.

Nurses For Newborns works to make a safe and healthy environment for every baby. They are in need of these items below. You can also place your order through our Amazon Wish List for delivery before Friday, November 20th. 

• Baby Care Items (Lotion, Shampoo, Wash)
• Baby Formula
• Baby Wipes
• Bottles
• Clothing (Preemie to Size 4T)
• Diapers (All Sizes, & Pull-Ups)

The Little Bit Foundation strives to remove the barriers to learning while building up students’ confidence, dignity and all the other qualities that lead to success. They are in need of these items below, or you can place your order through our Amazon Wish List for delivery before Friday, November 20th.

• New packs of socks and underwear
• New or gently used uniforms and clothing
• Hygiene items (full and travel size)
• Coats and jackets (new or in good condition)
• School supplies
• New or gently used books

If you have any questions, email Rachel Drone Gehm '88, Manager of Alumni Relations at rgehm@vdoh.org.

If you are out of town, you may order your items through Amazon and have them delivered to:

Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School
Attn: Rachel Gehm
801 S Spoede Rd
St. Louis, MO 63131

While our Christmas holidays may look a little different this year, Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill are still committed to serving others and keeping one of our most loved traditions alive! While we won’t be having Christmas Basket Mass this year, we are still calling on our entire community to build food baskets for those in need.

In the past, the Mums have gathered for some yuletide fun of socializing and working together to assemble baskets. This year, we are asking all Mums to create their own completed and assembled basket and drop it off on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 between 9 am and noon. The drop-off location will be at the Caretaker’s Cottage, next to the Log Cabin. We will have volunteers to receive and assist with your basket. All Mums of Alums Christmas Baskets will go to the Rural Parish Workers.

Please assemble a decorated basket of food that will allow a family to prepare a holiday meal. Baskets may include staples such as rice, potatoes, pasta; canned goods; canned meat; vegetables; bread; dessert; candy—whatever your family would like to contribute.

For those out of town, or unable to drop-off, visit our Christmas Baskets page to learn how to order items through Straub’s, Amazon, or Target to be used for the school’s Christmas Basket collection taking place on December 18, 2020. Those baskets will go to a variety of local agencies.

From the heart,

Ann Corrigan
President, Mums of Alums
Katie ’11
corriganann7@ gmail.com