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Saint Charles, Missouri: Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

 

About Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne:

This amazing saint was born in Grenoble, France in 1769 and was a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart. She traveled to the U.S. in 1818 and traveled what had been, until 1808, the Louisiana Territory controlled by France. Her journey took her eventually to Saint Charles, Missouri.

She founded the first houses of the Society of The Sacred Heart in the United States of America. Years later, a school in Kansas was founded for the Potawatomi Indian children. Here she spent much of her time taking care of sick Native Americans. The Native Americans named her Quahkahkanumad, which translates as “Woman Who Prays Always“.

She traveled further, to the Rocky Mountains, but then had to return to Saint Charles at the age of 73, when she became ill. She spent the last ten years of her life here, passing away in 1852 at the age of 83. Mother Duchesne was buried on the grounds of the Academy of the Sacred Heart. After three years, her body was exhumed, found to be miraculously intact, and reverently interred in a crypt within a simple octagonal shrine in the front yard of the school.

She was canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II and we celebrate her Feast Day on November 18.

 

The Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne in St. Charles, MO:

The shrine includes items from Philippine’s log cabin days and a crucifix that once hung in the Visitation convent in Grenoble, where she attended school as a young girl. You can also see the parlors of the early brick convent building (“the house where charity dwells,” as Philippine described it) as well as the cell where she died.

The Shrine is open daily and docents are available for tours of the Shrine, as follows: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9–11 a.m. and 1–3 p.m.; 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month: 10 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1–3 p.m.; 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month: 12–3 p.m.

There is also a gift shop with many items of interest.

 

Traveling to the Shrine of St. Philippine Rose Duchesne:

The shrine is located on the campus of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, and is open to visitors daily.  Saint Charles is just across the river from Saint Louis, and is considered to be in the Saint Louis Area.

Address: 619 North Second Street, St. Charles MO 63301

GPS coordinates: 38° 47′ 11.5944” N, 90° 28′ 52.9284” W

Tel:    +1 (636) 946-6127, ext. 1801.

Click here for the official website of the Shrine of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne in Saint Charles, Missouri.

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