A Feast Day Celebration

Newton Country Day School students and faculty celebrated the Feast of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865) with a liturgy to mark the 87th anniversary of our founding saint’s canonization and to bless the Class of 2013 who receive their school rings at the liturgy. 

Head of the Upper School Mrs. Kathleen Scully Hodges invited students, faculty, and parents of the Class of 2013 “to celebrate the liturgy in remembrance of and in thanksgiving to God for Madeleine Sophie Barat whose wisdom and love of God have traveled around the world. We pray for the Class of 2013 that they accept the honor and responsibility of their school rings imprinted with the seal of the Sacred Heart. May their rings mark them as women set forth to transform our world.”

In blessing the Junior Class, Father Walter Cuenin implored them to “become true leaders of the school. Madeleine Sophie saw that to educate women was to change society and you girls are the recipient of her legacy.” Members of the Class of 2013 participated as Cantors, Lectors, Liturgical Dancers, and Eucharistic Ministers.  

Sister Rogers offered a reflection that centered on today’s Gospel (John 15:1-8) of the vine and the branches. “This Feast Day shines in schools around the world. Today’s Gospel was Madeleine Sophie’s favorite. It reminded her of the Eucharist and of her home in the vineyards ofBurgundy,” she said. “As a little girl, Madeleine Sophie had a single conviction that centered her life: that God loves her. She chose to make known the love of the Heart of Jesus, the sacredness of the whole person, and the sanctity of life throughout the world. Saint Madeleine Sophie said that ‘your example more than your words marks you as a child of the Sacred Heart.’ We accept this invitation to be a child of the Sacred Heart by working daily to be kinder, more compassionate and generous, more joyous, and more forgiving.”

At the conclusion of the liturgy, Mrs. Hodges introduced the Junior Class. Sister Rogers and Mrs. Hodges presented each junior her class ring. The ceremony formally marks the transition of the leadership of theUpperSchoolto the Class of 2013. The juniors and their parents celebrated the Ring Ceremony tradition with a beautiful Goûter in the Blue Room.

View a slideshow of the Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie and Ring Ceremony.