St. Philippine Duchesne brought the Society of the Sacred Heart to America in 1818.

Bicentennial Prayer

Spirit of the living God,
you first breathed over the waters of creation,
and one day you breathed a passion
     into the heart of Philippine Duchesne.
You called her to cross the waters to a New World,
to bring the message of your compassion and love
to a land and peoples already dear to your heart.

Not knowing the language of the land,
she spoke the language of the heart –
         of love and prayer,
         of attention and openness,
         of steadfast purpose and living faith.
As the Sacred Heart family around the world,
we are the harvest of the seeds she sowed.             

Bless, now, our ever-new world,             
with Philippine’s spirit of great-hearted courage.
Fill us with her desire to cross frontiers,      
especially those furthest from the touch of hope.          
Renew the whole Church in its missionary spirit
     and give us Philippine’s zeal
     to spread your compassion and love to the ends of the earth.  

We ask all this in your name, triune God,
whose love knows no borders or boundaries,
and who sends us to make known that love in the heart of the world
now and forever.  Amen.