Convent of the Sacred Heart school in Greenwich, Conn., welcomed Barbara Dawson, RSCJ, the Society of the Sacred Heart’s provincial of the U.S.-Canada Province, to its annual prayer service Friday celebrating the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sister Dawson was the guest speaker, and she talked about how the goals and criteria of a Sacred Heart education call us to live the principles of peace, non-violence and social justice.

The ever-popular Gospel Knights and the Vision Steppers returned to participate in the event.

The prayer service began at 9:20 a.m. in the DuBois Gymnasium in the athletic center. After the service, Sister Dawson visited classes to speak with students. Sister Dawson is both a lawyer and educator. She also served two terms as head of the U.S. Province, from 1993-99.

A native of San Francisco, her most recent ministry was in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she consulted with the Society of the Sacred Heart. Prior to Indonesia, she was head of school at St. Martin de Porres School in West Oakland, Calif. and a consultant to the Urban Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Oakland.

Sister Dawson earned her bachelors from Lone Mountain College (now the University of San Francisco), and a law degree from the University of San Francisco. She received a masters in international comparative education from Stanford University.

Sister Dawson is a member of the bar in both California and Missouri and serves on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton; the Network of Sacred Heart Schools; and the School of Applied Theology, Berkeley.