Mayo School of Health Sciences Celebrates Students at All School Convocation

Monday, November 07, 2005

WHAT: Mayo School of Health Sciences (MSHS) will hold its annual all school convocation to celebrate, inspire and motivate students and faculty. In addition, the convocation brings together the entire school to recognize students in education and service, reaffirm the school's mission and reinforce school spirit.

The guest speaker, Father Thomas Bourque, is a Franciscan of the Third Order Regular (TOR) who resides in Virginia. He has a strong background in Higher Education Ministry and is involved in university teaching, retreat, pilgrimage and parish ministry. For the past three years he has led a select group of Mayo Clinic employees on a 12-day Franciscan Leadership Pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy.

Father Bourque will speak to MSHS students and faculty about "The Challenges of Perfect Joy." Inspiration for this topic came from the story of St. Francis teaching Brother Leo about Perfect Joy. Father Bourque says, "The moral of the story is no matter what comes our way, we are able to handle it and move forward with our lives. This is something I felt would be very appropriate for those entering the health care field."

WHEN: Monday, Nov. 14, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Father Bourque will speak from 3:50 to 4:25 p.m.

WHERE: The event will be held in Phillips Hall, Siebens Building, first floor, 100 Second Avenue S.W., Rochester, Minn., and at the campuses of Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Fla., and Mayo Clinic Arizona. Student and faculty audiences will be linked by live interactive video with portions of the program originating at each site.

WHO: Hosted by Mayo School of Health Sciences, one of five schools within the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. MSHS offers more than 60 educational programs representing 27 health science careers. Approximately 800 students are enrolled annually in MSHS programs and many graduates go on to practice in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. The event is open to news media.

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