Emily Perper

Sister Carol Keehan might be one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, but she’s not bragging about it. “Lady Gaga, a couple of dictators — I have to tell you, it is not the communion of saints,” she joked. “It’s not that I’m not grateful to Time, but it’s much nicer to have the Cross for the Church and the (Pontiff) from Pope Benedict.”

Johanna Mendelson Forman began her lecture on Thursday with a chilling scenario. “If you can imagine a whole city … that is filled with tents, and you’re sleeping alone, and maybe you don’t even have a full tent around you; you don’t even have four walls, but you have blankets or quilts, sometimes blue plastic sheeting that’s given out by humanitarian agencies. There’s no electricity and no lights, so it’s dark,” she said. “And suddenly you hear a rustling, and then you hear the sound of the knife cutting through the sheeting. And before you can scream, a man, or a group of men — often they come in gangs — crashes through the opening. They grab you. They push you down. They rape you. And often, all of this is done in front of your children.”

It’s all about women, and she’ll explain why in fives. “For ancient Egyptians, five was for worship” — Dr. Afaf Meleis raised her right hand — “and it was for offerings” — she extended her right hand — “and it was on temples to keep the evil eye away, which now is the khamsa that’s used in so many cultures … (and) brings its owner happiness, luck, health, good fortune and safety. And that’s what we want to bring to women of the world.”

“What is the value of a mother’s life?” Then: “What is the value of your mother’s life?” These questions, posited by Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese, the founder and director of Save the Mothers, began her presentation, “Am I My Sister’s Keeper: Addressing Maternal Mortality in the 21st Century.”

Now in its 11th season, the Mystic Heart Program continues to offer opportunities for meditation, led by Subagh Singh Khalsa and other returning Chautauquans. Throughout the summer, Mystic Heart Program participants will experience Sikhism, Islam, Sufism, Judaism, Kabbalah, Kundalini Yoga, Zen Buddhism and Christian methods of meditation.