Bishop William DuBourg assigned the group to the small village of St. Charles, Mo. There, Philippine opened the first Sacred Heart school outside of Europe and the first free school west of the Mississippi. To say life was hard would be an understatement. Money was scarce and the building in poor condition. Given the lack of boarding students, the sisters struck out the next year for Florissant, Mo., which attracted more students and vocations. In 1827, Philippine founded the City House school in St. Louis, with programs for boarders, a free day school and an orphanage.
To delve into her story is to be inspired by the frontiers she crossed – geographic, societal and spiritual...
It was at Florissant that Philippine spent many years serving as both superior of her religious community and head of the school. Learning English proved to be difficult so she didn’ t teach. She took on the most menial of chores: tending livestock, chopping wood, mending shoes and clothing, gardening and nursing the sick. She prayed well into the night and, despite having a bedroom upstairs in the convent, often slept in a small closet near the chapel so as not to disturb others when she finally retired. She survived a bout with yellow fever but battled persistent feelings of failure. She and Madeleine Sophie tended to their friendship through letters, which describe with candor both their joys and challenges.
In coming to the New World, Philippine’ s heartfelt desire had been to serve among the native people. Finally, at the age of 72, her wish was fulfilled. She went with three other Religious of the Sacred Heart to Sugar Creek, Kan., to establish a school for Potawatomi girls. Given her age, however, she was too frail to do much physical work and the native language was difficult to master. She spent her time in prayer, earning the name Quakahkanumad( Woman Who Prays Always). It was a great honor for a non-indigenous person to be so named, and it is“ Woman Who Prays Always” which perhaps best describes Philippine’ s lifelong relationship to God.
Artist Milton Frenzel. Courtesy of Society of the Sacred Heart United States-Canada Provincial Archives. The image is used on the newly published book,“ Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne: A Heart on Fire across Frontiers,” written by Sr. Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ. The book is available for order through your local book store or Amazon. com.
Due to poor health, Philippine returned to St. Charles, where she lived for the remainder of her life. When she died on November 18, 1852, at age 83, she had spent 34 years in America. She was beatified in 1940 and canonized in 1988; her Feast Day is November 18. This humble French girl who became an American pioneer has much to teach us today: have the courage to cross the frontiers before us, cherish the loved ones who urge us on and, yes, pray always and have faith in the One who calls us to a greater purpose.
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