Events

Friday, February 21, 2020
Gates open at 6:30 pm
First race post time at 7:00 pm

A Night At The Races allows you to experience the fun, the excitement, the feel of being at a horse race in person! Using "funny-money", each person "bets" on a winning horse of the six races that will be run. The evening is designed so that whether you are a novice or a veteran gambler, you can play, win, and have fun. Register below and we will see you at the starting gate!

• Bring your own food and beverages.
• There will be drink tickets available to purchase for the bar, offering bottled beer (Schlafly and AB Products), wine, water, and soda.
• A signature drink will be available, so come ready to partake in the decades-old tradition of having a Mint Julep as you watch the horses cross the finish line.
• Enter the Best Hat Contest.
• Purchase raffle tickets to win fantastic items.

Proceeds from this event support the Villa Duchesne-City House Alumnae Association and the Sr. Mary Gray McNally Scholarship. The event is for guests aged 21 or older. In the event of inclement weather, purchases are non-refundable and the event will be rescheduled.

We are planning to connect with our alums in Boston, Dallas, and Kansas City this year! If you live in any of these cities, please make sure we have your current information so we are sure to include you.

Mark your calendars to learn more about the life of our St. Philippine Duchesne at the Spirituality Speaker Series.

November 1, 2019 - Kathleen Hughes, rscj
February 7, 2020 - Donna Collins, rscj
March 6, 2020 - Fran Gimber, rscj

Please join us for On to New Frontiers: the Mission Spreads, presented by Frances Gimber, RSCJ, on First Friday, March 6, 2020, 9:30 a.m. in the Lenke Global Education Center (GEC) at Villa Duchesne.

Sister Gimber will discuss how the Society moved beyond Europe and the Americas after the dramatic event of 1818, Philippine Duchesne's voyage to America and her mission endeavors in the New World, and thus, the beginnings of the internationality of the Society.

Since returning to Saint Louis in 2012, Sister Gimber has worked on the translation of a major history of the Society of the Sacred Heart and on the English version of Philippine’s writings, as well as various editorial projects. Prior to coming here to take charge of the archives, she spent seven years in the secretariat of our motherhouse in Rome. Before that, she was a teacher, surveillante, headmistress, and director of studies in several Sacred Heart schools in this country (Kenwood, Stone Ridge, Greenwich, 91st Street, and Woodlands) and one in Japan. Her novitiate training was at Kenwood in Albany, and she was professed in Rome in 1964. In summary, Sister Gimber says, "I have always been vitally interested in our Society’s history and our mothers, and this interest has deepened in the last years as a result of my work both at the motherhouse and in the archives."

The Mission Continues: the 2019-2020 Sacred Heart Spirituality Series

From the beginnings and still, in the journey of the Heart, the mission is to discover and to reveal God's love in the world. Our founder Madeleine Sophie Barat urged "Let love be your life." Today, serving in 41 countries, in the spirit of Philippine Duchesne, the Religious of the Sacred Heart prepare the young for today and tomorrow and seek out the poor and the voiceless in society. "Every frontier calls out for pioneers to follow God's call and the wisdom to pray always." (rscj.org) The Sacred Heart Spirituality Series this year will explore how we carry forward that mission, launched and lived by our two founder-saints, how the mission spread to frontiers beyond the first foundations, and how we are invited to be Christ's Heart in the world, as we pray always. Indeed, our mission continues.

NOTE: Books, gift items, and cards from the Gift Shop at the Shrine of Saint Philippine will be available for purchase in the adjacent Parlor Dining Room before and after the presentation. 

The Sacred Heart Spirituality Speakers Series is sponsored three times annually by the Mums of Alums at Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School for the benefit of the entire Sacred Heart family. It represents the Alum Mothers’ effort to participate in the stewardship of the vision of Saint Madeleine Sophie and endeavors of Saint Philippine Duchesne – 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!

Join in for some fun on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 6pm. Come back to register in the spring!

Mums of the Villa Duchesne Class of 2019, come and help package Halloween Treat Bags for our recent graduates! We will be stuffing the packages and writing notes on Thursday, October 24, 2019, at 9 am in the Log Cabin behind the 1929 Main Building. 

Please supply your child's college address by filling out the form below before October 23rd. If a school address is not received, then the package will be mailed to the parent's address.

Join us for our Alumni Day of Service as we live out our Sacred Heart Goal 3 - social awareness which impels to action. The Feast of St. Philippine Duchesne will be celebrated with Mass on Monday, November 18, 2019 at 8:15 am in chapel.

After Mass, volunteers will leave for The Little Bit Foundation, working hand-in-hand to give, serve, and advocate for impoverished children in St. Louis. We will work at the distribution center from approximately 10 am until approximately 1 pm. There we will work together to pull items for individual student orders; count, sort and prep items for delivery; and assemble kits. There is also an opportunity to volunteer as a school representative and make a visit to a Little Bit school to deliver needed items for individual students.

Space is limited to 40 distribution center volunteers and 6 school visit volunteers, so submit your registration by filling out the form below

The Mums will come together for gouter as they assemble Christmas Baskets for the needy. We hope to see many Mums there on Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 9 am in the Log Cabin.

Get ready for our annual holiday gathering for young alums. Calling all Villa and Oak Hill alumni who graduated high school between 2007-2017! Join us for some holiday cheer at Par Lounge on Thursday, December 19, 2019 from 6 to 8 pm. Bring your classmates and toast to friendships and your alma mater, first drink is on us! Must be 21 years old to attend.

If you graduated prior to 2007, mark your calendar for May 19, 2020 for our spring alum social back on campus.

Celebrating in 2018!

Mums of the Villa Duchesne Class of 2019, come and help package Valentine Treat Bags for our recent graduates! We will be stuffing the packages and writing notes on Monday, February 10, 2020, at 5:30 pm in the Log Cabin behind the 1929 Main Building (our original date of February 5th was canceled because campus was closed due to inclement weather)

The address supplied back in October for the Halloween mailing will be used unless the address has changed. If there is a new address, please supply your child's college address by filling out the form below before February 9th. If a school address is not received, then the package will be mailed to the parent's address.

MUMS, WE NEED YOU!

Mums of Alums will be filling care packages to deliver to the USO Lambert Airport Facility. This facility serves young men and women traveling on their way overseas and is also a meeting point for up to 1,000 new recruits each week on their way to Ft. Leonard Wood for basic training. The services this USO facility offers include areas for relaxing and sleeping, canteen area, complimentary beverages and snacks, toiletries and personal care items, first aid supplies, and much more. Together, we can fill care packages of necessary items for the USO to give to our military personnel! To make your shopping just a little easier, click here to visit the Military Outreach Amazon Shopping List. 

• Starkist Tuna Packs
• Slim Jims/Beef Jerky
• Pringles/Stax chips (canisters)
• Goldfish
• Cookies
• Snack Cakes
• Maruchan Instant Lunches
• Raisins
• Nuts
• Granola Bars
• Trail Mix
• Fruit Snacks
• Hard Candy/Suckers
• Gum
• Vienna Sausages
• Rice Krispie Treats (store bought)
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Shaving Cream
• Wet Ones Wipes
• Dental Floss
• Chapstick 

Please bring needed items between February 6th and 11th and drop them in the bins located on the porch of the Log Cabin behind the 1929 Main Building. You can also bring them with you on February 12, 2020 at 9 am as we count on your help assembling and filling packages in the Log Cabin behind the 1929 Main Building.

Our Oak Hill students will be writing cards and letters to include in the care packages, while our Villa Duchesne students will participate in an out-of-uniform day to raise money for the St. Louis VA Medical Center Fisher House at Jefferson Barracks. Together, as a Sacred Heart community, we are helping our current military, our veterans, and their families. Goals 3 and 4 in action!

For questions, please contact Rachel Gehm '88, Manager of Alumni Relations at rgehm@vdoh.org or 314-810-3420