Claude Demoustier, RSCJ, Memorial Mass

October 24, 2012
A memorial mass for Claude Demoustier, RSCJ, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. in the Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill Chapel. The obituary for Sister Demoustier, who taught at the Academy in the late ’60s, which was posted on the web site of the Society of the Sacred Heart, US Province (www.rscj.org) follows:

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 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, 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.

Maypole Ornament

October 19, 2012

The Academy’s 2012 ornament has arrived. Cast in pewter, it’s a depiction of the Maypole dance performed each spring by Eighth and Second Class girls, as envisioned by ASH art teacher Karen Kozlen. 

2012 ORNAMENT

What Does Mater Call Us To In Today’s World?

October 19, 2012

Dear Parents,

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to each of you who supported this past weekend’s Country Fair! From our Chairs, Tim and Marguerite Stewart, and Co-Chairs, Gregg and Jodie Schneider, to the many and hard-working Committee Chairs to our Advancement Office staff, especially Jan McCosker, to every single parent who volunteered at a booth or helped to set up or stayed to clean up, I, want to earnestly, enthusiastically and wholeheartedly THANK YOU!

As I stated last week, the Academy absolutely needs the funds raised from Country Fair in order to meet our budgeted operating expenses. It is also true that all of us have come to value and appreciate the quality of communal connections which are created through our collaborative efforts working toward this common financial goal. From my humble perspective, the weekend was a HUGE success all around! Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping to make it so!

Now, a word about our special Feast Day which we will be celebrating tomorrow – the Feast of Mater Admirabilis. As most of you know, this image of Mary was painted in 1844 by a young novice in the Society of the Sacred Heart, Pauline Perdrau, who took it upon herself to produce a fresco of the Virgin Mary on a wall in the Trinita dei Monti, a Sacred Heart school in Rome. Sister Perdrau chose to paint Mary as a young woman, sitting in the temple, clothed in a rose-colored dress. Representations of Mater Admirabilis (Latin for Mother Most Admirable) can be found in Sacred Heart schools throughout the world.

But, how does this relate to our students (or to us) today? I have come to believe that Mater may provide one of the most important lessons we can teach our children. How so?

Given the circumstances in which we live, we can allow ourselves to easily be distracted with the exterior noise, chatter and potential exterior influences. Examples might include what people think, what people say, what is written or talked about in the media, and in our own social networks (virtual or personal). If we are not moving through our world with a grounded center, we can be affected by these exterior “factors” in ways that overly determine our interior attitudes, thought patterns, dispositions or emotional states.

This image of Jesus’ Mother calls us to something totally other. Mater, through her contemplative example, calls us to the depth of our own being. She calls us to our own interior space, where, when we are attentive (as she is), where, when we are silent (as she is), where, when we are focused inwardly (as she is), we discover the place in our deepest self where Christ resides WITH us, IN us and AS us. From this place, our attitudes, our thought patterns, our dispositions and our emotional states are NOT affected BY the world, as much as AFFECT the world. Living from this place within, we become Christ in the world without.

This is my deepest hope for our students: that they learn how to live life from the inside-out and affect their world AS the Face of Christ!

Happy Feast,

Maureen Glavin, rscj

KSDK 5-1 Salute Postponed

October 19, 2012

Ms. McCosker’s Second Class students, who were to appear in “5-1” Salutes following KSDK Channel 5 newscasts yesterday and today, have been rescheduled. The new broadcast date has not been announced.

Soccer Practices Canceled

October 17, 2012

All soccer practices on Wednesday, Oct. 17 have been canceled due to the rain in the forecast.

Academy to be featured on KSDK Channel 5

October 15, 2012

KSDK Channel 5 visited the Academy last week to tape “5-1” Salutes. Here are the dates and classes that are scheduled to air:
 
Wednesday, October 17 — Miss Lammert’s Fourth Class
Thursday, October 18 — Ms. McCosker’s Second Class
 
These will be shown at the end of the 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM news broadcasts, and again the next day after the 10:30 AM and 12:00 noon news. After they air, they will be added to the “Salutes” page of www.ksdk.com, which can be found under the “Features” tab.
 
KSDK advises that, sometimes, due to time conflicts, last-minute schedule changes or breaking news, Salutes may not air when they are scheduled. If a Salute does not appear at any time during the day it was scheduled to air, it would be rescheduled for a later day and we would be notified of the change.

See You at the Fair!

October 11, 2012

Dear Academy Families,

The “buzz” around the school this week is palpably Country Fair!  From the presence of pumpkins, to Marketplace volunteers, to raffle sale conversations, to Fun Run trophy chatter, this place is being painted with a palette of excitement as we anticipate a fun-filled weekend.

It is important for me to take a moment to remind everyone that proceeds from this weekend are an essential aspect of our yearly budget. Every donation, every dollar spent and every volunteer hour given is a contribution to the Academy program. In fact, Country Fair typically brings in around $50,000 net income to the annual operating budget. So, as you have an enjoyable day with your children and friends, know that you are also making a significant contribution to the school’s ability to deliver a quality program.

An equally important aspect of Country Fair is the opportunity it provides us to build community with each other. Hopefully you will have a chance to spend time with each other, get to know each other a little more, perhaps meet a new family and enjoy one another’s company. Not only do these connections occur over a meal or a game of washers, but, they occur in the shared task of “making the day happen.” Setting up for the fair, running a booth together, and assisting in the cleanup can be as community building as a conversation over coffee.   

Come one, come all! Bring your friends and family. Enjoy the day. Enjoy the food. Enjoy the fun. And THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for all you have done, are doing and will do, to make it happen.

See you at the Fair!

Maureen Glavin, rscj

Out of Uniform Day

October 11, 2012

Hooray! Our super-selling students have earned an out-of-uniform day on Friday, Oct. 13 by selling 11,000+ Country Fair raffle tickets. Parents, please refer to the out-of-uniform policy shown on page 31 of the Parent Handbook for guidelines.