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Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart mourns the passing of Headmistress Emerita Barbara Rogers, RSCJ, whose extraordinary life of faith, leadership, and service shaped our school. For more than three decades, she devoted her life and leadership to the mission of Sacred Heart education and to the formation of young women of faith, intellect, Courage, and Confidence.

A graduate of Elmhurst Academy of the Sacred Heart, and Manhattanville College, Rogers entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1978. She subsequently served in several Sacred Heart schools in the United States and abroad and earned an MBA from Yale University School of Management. She came to Newton Country Day in 1988 and was appointed Headmistress in 1989, beginning a tenure that would span 34 years.

During her leadership, Rogers guided Newton Country Day through a period of remarkable growth and transformation. She inherited a school facing significant financial challenges and declining enrollment and, through a combination of strategic vision, disciplined stewardship, and an unwavering commitment to mission, established the foundation for the thriving institution it is today.

Under her leadership, enrollment more than doubled, the school’s endowment grew from approximately $200,000 to more than $50 million, and tuition assistance expanded substantially. She oversaw significant investments in academic, artistic, athletic, and student-life programs, including the construction of the Sweeney-Husson building, expansion of the library and classroom spaces, renovation of the Chapel, and creation of the Kathleen R. Martin Wellness Center.

Rogers’s leadership extended well beyond institutional growth. Guided by the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools, she sought to ensure that academic excellence was inseparable from spiritual development, service, community, and a commitment to social justice. She championed opportunities that strengthened the school’s academic program, broadened access to a Sacred Heart education, and prepared students to assume meaningful leadership in a changing world.

Her influence was equally profound in the lives of the people who constituted the Newton Country Day community. Students, faculty, staff, alumnae, families, and trustees experienced her as a leader of high standards, deep faith, remarkable energy, and genuine compassion. She understood that the strength of an institution ultimately rests upon its people, and she consistently sought to cultivate a community in which individuals were known, valued, challenged, and supported.

The Sacred Heart Endowment, established in Rogers’s honor, provides tuition assistance for future generations of Sacred Heart scholars and reflects her longstanding commitment to building a diverse and inclusive community. Her contributions to Catholic education were also recognized in 2025, when the College of the Holy Cross awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her transformative leadership and dedication to the formation of future women leaders.

Rogers’s legacy is ultimately measured not only in the growth of the school, but in the generations of young women whose lives were shaped by her vision of what a Sacred Heart education could make possible. The institution she led, the community she strengthened, and the opportunities she created will continue to bear the imprint of her leadership.

Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart remains profoundly grateful for Rogers’s life of service, her steadfast commitment to the Sacred Heart mission, and her enduring contribution to the formation of young women who are prepared to lead with Courage and Confidence.

Read the obituary and sign the guest book.

Service Details

The wake will be held on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 4 to 8pm at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. (Please allow extra time for travel and parking, as traffic in the area is expected due to a Boston College home football game.)

The funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at 11:30am at Campion Center, 319 Concord Road, Weston, MA 02493.

Additionally, all are invited to our Mass of Remembrance on Sun. Nov. 15 at 4:30pm in our school’s chapel. At this annual Mass, we remember and recognize those who have gone before us. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Barbara Rogers, RSCJ, may be made to the Sacred Heart Endowment at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. Established to honor Rogers’s legacy and leadership, the Endowment provides tuition assistance, carrying forward her commitment to ensuring that a Sacred Heart education is accessible to a diverse community of young women. Gifts may be made through the Sacred Heart Endowment or mailed to:

Newton Country Day Advancement Office
785 Centre Street
Newton, MA 02458

Please designate gifts: Sacred Heart Endowment in Memory of Sister Rogers. 

Memorial gifts may also be made to the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States–Canada Province, in support of the life and mission to which Rogers devoted herself.