Happy Feast of Mater!

Please allow me to thank you for remembering us on Mater's feast. It has been some time for us to receive greetings on our special days. Mater, Feast of the Sacred Heart, and Sts.  Madeline Sophie and Phillipine. Much appreciated.

May I suggest contacting the schools and arranging streaming those liturgies alternatively for the schools? It would be.wonderful for those of us who live
far away from a S.H. school.

Now for GOUTER
At the Rosary.in New Orleans in 40's and 50's, we had square of yellow cake topped with pink icing and lemons or lemonade (forgive my 88 years memory) sipped thru peppermint stix.

Thank you again for the feast day wishes,
Carmen Diaz McDevitt
Rosary 1955

Climbing those Spanish Steps, then finding the entrance to the convent, was an adventure. I was determined to visit Mater. And there I was, kneeling in front of the Blessed Mary, solemn but in wonder. I had thought about the possibility of being here since I was a student at Sacred Heart in Atherton, California, from 1959-1963. I felt blessed and welcomed.

Sheila Giannini

In June of 1984 I was in Rome for an International Tire convention. I knew Sister Dorothy Murray was there. She was our Reverend Mother at CSH Elmhurst in the 1960’s. I contacted her and made a date for lunch. When I climbed the stairs at Trinita I looked up and saw Mater! MATER! I was in awe! Now, fast forward to 2024. Elmhurst alumni luncheon. The conversation at our table turned to Mater. All of a sudden it dawned on me-I SAW Mater! I blurted out “I SAW Mater!!!” Of course everyone wanted to know everything about seeing Mater. Such a precious memory…I saw Mater

Delice S. Ferrara

Good morning!
Happy Feast of Mater!

I am an alum of Broadway, Class of ‘79. My daughter, Michaela Nelson, is a Convent Elementary graduate, 2008. Michaela lives in Rome. We went a few years ago to see Mater, and then again this past April.  Visitors need to remember Mater is located in French territory, and will require one person from their group to have a passport. You will also need to distinguish yourself as an alum, as the guard restricts the flow of visitors.
When Michaela and I first visited in 2019, we were outside ringing the bell when we were joined by an alum from Peru. There had been no answer at the door and we knocked again. Our persistence (10 minutes for an answer) payed off when the guard appeared at the door. I told him that Michaela and I were from the San Francisco school and we would like to see Mater, please. We also told him about the woman from Peru with the same request. He eyed us suspiciously and said, “How do I know you are who you say you are?” Michaela and I had not brought a pin or ring for identification. We did not think it was needed. My daughter and I looked at each other and without missing a beat started singing Coeur de Jésus! The man we thought would not smile, did, and let us all through the door! One of my prouder Sacred Heart moments!

The second visit required more persistence as there were a lot of people trying to gain access to the grounds inside. It helps to speak French and identify yourself upfront when the big doors open as an alum of a Sacred Heart school. The guard asked how many in our party (2) and he pulled us in through the door, leaving 20 behind outside.

Have a delightful day,
Nancy Landers Nelson, Convent of the Sacred Heart, 1979

I visited Mater  in Rome many years ago. It was an experience finding the right building - but it was worth the effort!  The person who greeted me seemed very surprised to see me and it took a while to explain why I was there.  Finally I was directed down a long corridor - and there was MATER!  It was well worth the effort!  I stayed till my friends got restless - and it was a high point of my visit in Rome.

Many years later I was in Brisbane, Australia and visited the school there.  The first thing I saw when they opened the door was a very large picture of Mater on the stairway landing.  I immediately felt SO much at home!  It was a beautiful experience.

Happy Feast Day, Mater Admirabilis!!

Jane Vollbrecht Dall

I have done a needlepoint of Mater which I plan to donate to Villa in the near future.

Barbara Zeuschel Stickford

NOT the windmill cookies!

Barbara Esstman

I spent my junior year abroad at Loyola /Monte Mario. Now, it is called the John Felice Rome Center but I digress. I return to Rome like a swallow, a very old swallow! Each time I do, I retrace my steps( perhaps odd but…) and I buy some pink flowers from a seller off the via Margutta, take the steps up( every year slower and slower but…) to Trinita. The porters have changed over the years but they always break out in a smile when I tell them that I was a “professore” at Greenwich. The door buzzes and more steps. These are worn with so many pilgrims’  footfalls which quicken my steps. 

I was there on the 20 October and in time for Mass.Just luck. I found a seat towards the back giving me a view of everyone there. I wondered what each of us was thinking, how we got there, what were our hopes and needs.

It was at Communion when, this very elegant Roman matron, impeccably dressed as they always are, passed from the priest and having received Our Lord, paused, turned to face Mater and then executed the perfect curtsy, almost a court bow, lowered her head in homage, rose and returned to her wicker seat to pray. I was enthralled, overwhelmed, and swept by a sense of gratitude for being witness to something so purely lovely. Still moves me.

Jack O'Connell

Years ago when my husband and I were in Rome,  we went to " find Mater".  At the top of the Spanish steps, we spoke with a young priest who showed us how to proceed.  We found her!  It was a sight I will never forget.. so joyful after years of praying to her at Woodlands, Clifton, Barat, and at home.  We signed the visitors' book and noted all the people from around the world who had also stopped by.  We said a few prayers for all of them

  I still smile every year on her feast day.

Susan Scherpereel 

In 2013 a friend and I visited Rome. I remember thinking that the Spanish Steps were every bit as dramatic and beautiful as they were reported to be. I went all the way to the top to visit the mother house. The terra cotta pots on the wall featured the Sacred Heart logo. I wanted one!
I went inside and found my way to the chapel where the original Mater shone in all her beauty. There was a Mass being said there for a small group. I sat quietly and thanked Mater, Madeline Sophie and Philippine for mentoring and loving me and all her other daughters. It was a deep and lovely experience.

Kathryn Butzlaff

Yes. Many years ago my husband and I were in Rome and we saw the painting.
 I graduated from Villa Duchesne in  Frontenac, Mo. I am the oldest living graduate of the school, class of 1944. In one week I will be 99.

Stella Sanders Forshaw

In 2009, my husband and I were fortunate to stay in a hotel next to the Trinita. I was able to go to the shrine to Mater to pray - a blessing. On a Thursday afternoon, when the local Alumnae were celebrating Mass at the shrine, they invited me to attend with them. What a Sacred Heart connection!

In 1963, when I was a senior at the Rosary, my classmates chose me to portray Mater. A very humbling blessing. 

Mimi Murphy

The very first time I went to the Trinita dei Monti in Rome I entered the church as the school was having a mass. It was very crowded. I believe it was in French. I had my mother’s Mater pendant on and I showed it to one of the students. Not being able to communicate easily, I motioned to my pendant. She directed me to a teacher who brought my husband and I through a painted/secret door in the church which led upstairs to the chapel where Mater was found!  We were the only ones there! It was a very moving experience which led me to tears!
I returned several years later with Newton College friends.  Three of us attended Sacred Heart high schools. Again, I was moved by the experience! 
A long awaited grandson Jack was born two years ago today!  It was again very moving for me because I had prayed to Mater that my daughter would get pregnant! 

Mary Gabel Costello
Clifton / Newton College
My mother went to Manhattanville and I just celebrated my 60 high school reunion in Cincinnati with eight classmates out of 28!

Thanks for the opportunity to share my very best experiences with Mater in Rome as my husband and I lived for 10 years “ down the hill” from the Trinita.
In 2004 my husband Tony was elected to the Sovereign Council of the Order of Malta, and off we went to the Via Condotti for ten years.
Although I volunteered at the Order, we also attempted to use our location to create “tours” for friends, family, and benefactors of AASH to Rome, and especially to Mater.
We were so welcomed there and even received detailed historical information about the astronomical experiments and scientific discoveries accomplished there.
But most importantly, being able to visit our Mater shrine and share her story and blessings with fellow alums and new believers was such a wonderful gift.
Of all the experiences we were blest with being able to share Mater is among the most important.

Lucille Compagno Sanchez-Corea
Broadway class of ‘55
Dame Grand Cross of Grace and devotion in obedience-Order of Malta

We have just returned home from Italy this past weekend.  Our first stop was Rome in our three week trip.  Our hotel over looked Piazza de Spagna, which of course is The Spanish Steps.  Mater was just outside our window.  We arrived on a Sunday, which unfortunately the chapel is closed on Sundays.  Our tour guide met us at the hotel Monday morning and I asked if we could go see the chapel as our first experience in Rome.  She had never heard of the chapel or its significance.  It’s fun to show a tour guide something new.  The chapel was bigger than I had anticipated with sterling silver Sacred Hearts decorating the walls.  There was a gentleman who only spoke French and English there waiting for a group from Poland who was set to celebrate Mass in the chapel.  He was lovely and invited us to stay but we had a full day planned.  I was able to spend a few moments with Mater and brought intentions from home to put in the basket.  Finally able to see Mater in person was a happy emotional moment.  She is truly beautiful.  I went back and saw her again before we moved on to our next stop and spent a little more time there.  Hopefully we will be able to go back again! 

Gratefully, Karen W. Schmid
Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans (The Rosary), Class of ‘82.

Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Hi there! 
My husband and I visited Mater back in 2016. I was excited to show the church staff my alumni passport card, and they welcomed us both happily. We had a quiet moment with Mater in the chapel-- we had the place to ourselves. It was a very special moment of reflection and reverence. I would love to go back someday!

Adriana Asdourian, Broadway '06

My visit to Mater was 12 years ago. It is VERY important to follow the directions given to us in writing before we go. Once at the top of the Spanish steps it is NOT clear which entrance, gate, building to enter. Once inside the Mater Chapel is magic. SHE is so beautiful, no photo or painting can capture her loveliness...innocence, beauty, youth, softness, gentleness, holiness!!! The chapel makes a visitor feel so proud to be an alumni. It truly feels like the Family and Community we were educated in so many years ago. I couldn't stop smiling after I left this sacred place.

Thank you for asking.

Brooke Zeuschel Bledsoe

City House 1959

P.S. Favorite Gouter: Cookies of any sort.

My husband & I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary by taking our family to Italy in 2024. It was a thrill to visit Mater with my 3-year-old granddaughter!

Karen Whittler

Thanks for bringing back the memory of congees (sp?) and gouter.  I think my favorite was fudgecicles!

Someplace I have a photo of my aunt, Ruth 'Dicky' Whalen, rscj, standing in front of the large painting of Mater that was in the main hallway at Prince Street (Rochester, NY).  I believe it was taken when she was made principal, 1967 or 1968.

Marianne Odenbach Blanchard
Prince St. through eighth grade,
Manhattanville '76

Sister Mary Louis Whalen, s.s.n.d., Rev. John S. Whalen, who at the time was pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Greece, NY., and Sister Ruth "Dicky" Whalen, r.s.c.j.  They were all siblings of my mother, Anne Marie Whalen Odenbach, Prince St. '36, Manhattanville '40. 

I was recently in Rome with my husband and 2 kids to celebrate the Jubilee.  We were amazed by all the sights like St Peter’s, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and of course all the beautiful churches. 
But I have to say the most moving and spiritually uplifting activity that we did was our visit to Mater. We were able to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and spend some time in quiet reflection with Mary. I cried tears of joy and felt that Mary was sitting next to me. Thank you for this beautiful opportunity.  I will cherish it forever.

Christina Dolan
Visited on May 26th, 2025

I traveled to Rome for the first time with my husband and son, who was 18 at the time. They had both heard me tell the story of MATER, and how we Sacred Heart alums are welcomed into any of our network facilities around the world by the sentence, "Je suis une enfant du Sacre Coeur de Jésus." We planned to visit MATER as an essential part of our itinerary. When we arrived at the building, at the top of the Spanish Steps, we found the small intercom with a button on a plain, unmarked wall of the Trinità Dei Monti. Complex. To the right was a stairway, leading to a door. I pressed the button, we held our breath, and a voice spoke to us in Italian. I said the words I had been taught so long ago, and there was a buzzing noise. We looked up, and at the top of the stairway appeared a small nun. She did not say a word as she led us to the entry to the shrine. She handed us a piece of paper, protected by a worn plastic cover. tIs message was written in several languages. We were being given a welcome, and instructions about how to find our way to MATER. The small nun smiled, and led the way. 

The complex was reminiscent of our schools. There was a large courtyard, surrounded by columns. It was truly magnificent. We ascended a stairway, and on the landing halfway up was a window with a view of St. Peter's, and a portrait of St. Madeline Sophie, so familiar to us Sacred Heart girls. I told the guys that it hangs in a prominent place in all Sacred Heart schools. I still recall exactly where it was in mine. 

I felt so much at home. This was a spiritual experience in many ways. Coming home, and here I was in Rome. 

At the top of the stairway, we found a small warren of rooms and hallways, and at last, there was the small chapel. Hello, MATER! She was even more beautiful  than I had imagined. I could not take my eyes off of her. I knelt to pray, and the world melted away. Thank you, Mary, for bringing our family here. We are indeed on sacred ground. Please bless us.

Time stood still as we silently took in the chapel we had all to ourselves. It was my dream come true.

I wanted to stay a long time.

Memories flooded my heart, and I felt overwhelmed with emotion. How blessed I am for experiencing my Sacred Heart education, spiritual guidance, and family. It all seems timeless.

When it was time to leave, I looked over the large guest book before I entered my information, and impressions. There were folks from all over the world who had come here to honor MATER, and I felt the unique connection we share. 

Mater Admirabilis, pray for us.

Christine Wilmot
Prince Street '68