How others saw Philippine

I was struck by what Philippine said of herself at the end of a long letter to Father Barat and then what two of her own community were writing about her in 1821.
Philippine to Father Barat on March 7 said: "I am by nature more fitted to be a servant. Something quite different is needed in one who guides souls. But God does His own work. My two young religious sisters advance steadily toward perfection and relish all the poverty and abjection from which they suffer so much, for ours is not a life of convenience. That should be the disposition of all who come to join us. They must accept suffering and have God alone as their support.
...Our Mothers and Sisters here are fairly well and I am more vigorous than ever, but I have few teeth left. . . "

While Mother Duchesne was writing in depreciating terms, Mother Berthold wrote to Madeleine Sophie:
"We are so happy under her care. Her three years of superiority are up, but, Reverend Mother, do not listen to her request to be relieved of office. What would we do without her? There are seven of us in her little family now. We love each other very much and our hearts are all one with hers. . . Furthermore, she knows the country and the character of the people. Anyone else would be an apprentice, as it were, in all this."
The very next day Sister Catherine Lamarre was writing to Amiens: "Last fall we came very near losing our dear Mother Duchesne, but our Divine Master knows how necessary she is to us and so He restored her to health. What a terrible loss it would be if she were taken away! May the Sacred Heart be blessed a thousand times for having saved her for us."

Next week will move on more quickly in the life of Philippine. I love reviewing Mother Callan's life and the above letters are quoted from her book. She was writing the book and reading it to us Chapter by Chapter when I was in summer school at Maryville as a young nun. She was reading it aloud to us so the Maryville College community could offer criticism.
For my first two years after the noviciate we had twelve weeks of summer school. I went to retreat during the middle of that one year out at St. Charles. As Mother Callan was also making that same retreat, she offered to read the last chapter of her book with the death of Philippine during the retreat and some of us were in tears hearing her read during our noon meal. It was so moving. However, I still have more to share before we get to Philippine's death.

Feast of Special Angels

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels who are important in the Christian story. The entrance antiphon for the Mass says: "Bless the Lord, all you his angels, mighty in power, fulfilling his word, and heeding his voice." 

We need our angels. We are not mighty in power, but we are all called to fulfill God's word and heed His voice. Let us pray to these archangels for the grace that we may continue to be defended and aided by God's special messengers.

The responsorial psalm is "In the sight of the angels I will sing your praise" so let us do that today and thank for having been given a special guardian angel to watch over us.

On February 19, 1821, the cornerstone of the new church that was to stand beside the convent was laid in a very simple ceremony, but the joy it gave was great. The church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus had begun to rise and the cornerstone was presented by Philippine Duchesne. Her beloved St. Francis Regis had been chosen as a secondary patron of the church and a special shrine in his honor was to be arranged in the convent chapel.
Now the nuns could assist at all the parish Masses from their own little side Chapel. It is known that Mother Duchesne welcomed all priests when they came to visit. She felt called to give them hospitality no matter how poor the community was and often priests were renewed in energy after the care and rest they received. 

In Philippine's own words...

Letter that Philippine wrote to Mother Barat, October 30, 1820: "Never have I been in greater need of a letter from you and never have I had to wait so long for one. At last there is the packet.... My preceding letters which must have caused you anxiety about the health of Mothers Octavie and Eugenie, made you realize our need of recruits and this one will give you still further proofs of it. After these generous souls have been delivered from their bleedings and blisterings, I too had an illness that has lasted two months, including the convalescence. I received Holy Viaicum and was never so near to meeting my God. After having burned with desire to be with Him, at the moment when I could hope for it I felt only the emptiness of my life, the severity of God's judgments, and the hardness of my own heart."
Philipine then tells how the Bishop brought his own doctor to treat her and how she has decided that none of them should take mecury, a drug widely used in American medicine at the time. Then she tells how she had just begun to regain her strength when Octavie slipped and fell and broke a bone in her leg.
Mother Duchesne ends this letter saying: "As for me, do as you wish. All desire but that of doing God's holy will is extinguished in me, and my illness has rooted me still deeper in indifference. Monsignor has ordered me to take care of myself and I am doing so quite simply. Today I am writing my first letter. I have eaten four meals and I remained in bed until seven o'clock this morning."

This is the same woman who will finally be able to reach her beloved Indians at age 71! She still has more than twenty years to wait and these are years when, although she is responsible for the opening of six houses of the Society, she still feels that she is a failure and often begs to be relieved of the burden of being superior.

Beginnings at Florissant

To continue with the life of Philippine we must go back a bit and take a look at 1820. The boarding school is flourishing with twenty-four pupils by May. We have an account from one of the first pupils, Emilie St. Cyr that shows Mother Duchesne as an educator and gives us a word picture of her among the children:
" I always looked on Mother Duchesne as a perfect model of all virtues. It was my good fortune to have her as class mistree during more than two years. Never once did I see her lacking in poise and self-control; never did I notice in her the least movement of impatience in dealing with the group of children who were so difficult to handle. She showed the same gentle kindliness toward all. More than once I called the attention of my schoolmates to the heavenly radiance that shone on her countenance. One might have mistaken it for sunshine, but the light was softer than than. Then we would say, "Mother Duchesne has just come from the chapel. She has had an ecstasy." We certainly had a saint for a teacher. Even the most troublesome girls venerated her."

The second scholastic year at Florissant had scarcely begun when Mother Duchesne fell dangerously ill. Mother Duchesne wrote to Mother Barat on October 30 and I will copy part of her letter tomorrow as it helps us to realize how hard those years were for Philippine.

Re-opening of Free School in 1828

The dedication of the stone church built by the Jesuits was on October 12, 1828. Philippine stayed for the Confirmation ceremony the next day and then left Lucile with Mary Ann at St. Charles to repair the house and open the free school. She gave her $4 which was all the money the treasury had. Lucile and Mary Ann had to be carpenters, painters, masons, but were able to begin the free school by October 24th. By December they had sixteen children.
The nuns wrote back to France saying: "We have been for some time the object of real curiosity, not only to the people of St. Charles, but to those of all the surrounding districts, who come in crowds to look at us. And one lady, amongst others, after having looked us up and down with much care, said in a very pleased way, 'But they are just like other people!'"

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The first reading for this Sunday is from Isaiah 5 
and begins:
"Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near." And then "Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord...."

The parable that Jesus tells us in the Gospel (Matthew 20: 1-16) has the landowner going out at dawn to hire for the usual daily wage. Then he goes out again at 9:00 and hires more workers; he goes out again at noon, at 3:00, and at 5:00 and hires more. When evening came, he told his foreman to begin with the last hired to give them their pay. Each received the usual daily wage so when those who had worked all day came, they thought they would receive more and grumbled against the landowner when they also received the usual daily wage. Then the landowner said to one in reply: "My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous? ..."

This Gospel always makes me think of how generous the Lord is and how my thoughts are not his thoughts. Let us pray to have the generosity that Jesus shows us.

Dedication of the St. Charles Borromeo Church

Continuation of the account of arriving to assist at the dedication of the Church and re-open the school.
Here is the first person account of the first days:
"We  commenced first by sweeping the part destined for the recitation of prayers, then, little by little, all the house. But cleaning up, on the other hand, we fell into a new embarrassment, for the rats (who in such filth found an abundance of food) gave us no peace. They walked abroad in our midst in full daylight and came at night to give us sweet kisses.
As to our furniture, it was in harmony with the house; we had no beds and were obliged to sleep on the floor. We took an old carpet from the Church to serve as bed covering; but the dust and the fleas which which it was filled did not allow us a moment's rest."
The day after the nuns' arrival was to be the consecration of the new church. The bishop and twelve priests said their holy office in the nuns' log cabin the night before the dedication since they could not enter the church until it had been consecrated. The next morning Mass was offered nine times in the cabin. Mother O'Connor had all she could do chasing rats all the time she was serving Mass!
When the consecration of the Church began at 10:00 all the townspeople were waiting in the churchyard for the procession to begin. There were several awkward things that occurred - one priest asked for a bit of cotton and he was given a knife       ( the French word for knife is similar to cotton); then the priests noticed that in place of wine, the cruet had been filled with vinegar. After the ceremony, the bishop and dignitaries all came to the log cabin for breakfast. Mother Duchesne, wanting to sweeten the cup of coffee served to the Bishop, put two large spoonfuls of salt into it. The other nuns realized immediately the mistake as they had no sugar!

Still to be continued on Monday as Sunday blog is always special.

Returning to St. Charles

Jane Cannon wrote a short account that is given to the eighth graders each year for the feast of St. Philippine. I am sure she will not mind if I quote her here as this information is in Mother Callan's book and the St. Charles archives, but she has condensed the essentials. Jane calls it "Starting Over in St. Charles." It seems that Mother Duchesne took Octavie Berthold as companion from the City House to accompany her and they went to Florissant to take Lucile Mathevon and another nun not yet professed, Sister O'Conner, to St. Charles. The last two would remain and re-open the school. Here is what Jane has written: "Mothers Duchesne, Octavie, Mathevon and O'Conner got up at 3:00 in the morning to prepare for their trip to St. Charles. Bishop Rosati had arrived from St. Louis on horseback and joined them in time to board the ferry for the trip across the river. They caught sight of St. Charles by eight o'clock.
As they walked up the street from the river toward the log cabin (the same they had left), the women of the town looked out of the windows of their houses and waved to welcome them. One lady danced in the street and cheered for their arrival. Others were at home preparing dinner for their welcome.
When they reached the cabin, a man had to crawl through a window to open the door since there was no lock on the door. Here is how one of the nuns described their new home: "The house was built of poor boards, badly joined and offering no exterior attractions. Six rooms, or rather six hovels, without windows, without flooring, without doors, composed our little palace. A cave basement under all the house was the abode of all the animals of the villaage. The sheep, the pigs, etc. found their place there regularly and made human sojourn in the house intolerable by the odors which came up from their hovel."
To be continued tomorrow.

Some contact with the Indians

Philippine resided at Florissant from 1819 until 1827 when she founded the City House in St. Louis. She left Lucile Mathevon in charge of Florissant; Lucile was only 9 years professed in the Society but she had been in Grenoble with Philippine, had the same desire to go to the Indians, and was thrilled when the Jesuits came to Florissant and some had some Indian boys and the Jesuit Superior brought them little Indian girls. However, the tribes had to move on to find food by hunting and the Indians were reluctant to leave their children behind so the school was of short duration. 
The Jesuits were building a stone church in St. Charles and had asked Philippine to return and open a school there as soon as it was finished. They had bought the property and the original house where Philippine had started in 1818 and gave it to her. She agreed to return in time for the dedication of the Church.

Foundation of Grand Coteau

In 1821 another foundation was made in Grand Coteau, Louisiana as a widow desired to give us land and a house. Mother Duchesne sent Eugenie Aude there with Mary Layton who was still a novice. Fortunately, in 1822 Mother Xavier Murphy and Lucile Mathevon arrived from France. Xavier was sent directly to Grand Coteau and Lucile went up the Mississippi to Florissant. After she arrived, Mother Duchesne had Lucile take her classes and she left with one of the Pratte children to visit the new foundation. They arrived in two weeks time and it was a joy for all as vacation was just beginning and the community could spend time with Philippine. The return trip took over two months. The captain and the first mate both died the first day out with yellow fever. Philippine also had the fever and had to disembark and take refuge in the house of a parishioner whose wife had died recently. When Philippine was well and could travel, they finished the journey by cart.
Here is a picture of Grand Coteau after we had built there.

It is the oldest school of the Sacred Heart in continuous existence. 

Life of Philippine in Florissant

The new convent was ready just before Christmas.  Mother Aude wrapped the children win blankets and started off for the new convent on December 23, 1819; Philippine stayed behind with one of the Sisters to clean up and to follow on Christmas Eve with their cow! The cow did not want to go out in the deep snow and freezing cold so Phi[ppine was trying to get her to follow when the string holding the bag with all their money, important papers, and Philippine's watch, broke and scattered all into the deep snow. They had to stop and search until all was recovered. They finally arrived but were almost frozen. That night there was the Midnight Mass and the community soon settled into their new convent. Philippine chose the tiny cubby-hole under the stairs so she could sleep there and be near the Chapel. The rest of the nuns slept on the third floor in one large room. They were soon joined by six novices and the dormitory was also the novitiate. The boarding school grew rapidly and soon there were seventeen boarders. On the first floor, there was the entrance hall with two rooms on either side and the staircase. The front room on the left was the parlor with a small oratory behind it; when the parish church was built, this room opened onto the sanctuary so the nuns could assist at Mass from there. On the right side of the house, there was a classroom in front and a dining room behind it for the pupils. I do not know if the novices and nuns ate there after the children or had their meals outside in the hut built for a kitchen, but conditions were still rather spartan. The second floor had another classroom, the children's dormitory, a very tiny room for infirmary, and an office so the superior could work there and there was also a room that served as community room for spiritual reading each day and recreation together. 
I have pictures but do not know how to get them into this blog from where I have them. Found them! This is the old convent but the Church was built afterwards to connect to their oratory. You see the wall of the church on the left.

Philippine's room under the stairs where she chose to sleep.

The first house of the Society in the New World

Philippine and her companions arrived in St. Charles after the long trip from St. Louis across the Missouri river on September 7, 1818. Within a week they had opened the first free school west of the Mississippi and the first house of the Society of the Sacred Heart in America. The rented house that the Bishop had found for them was only the size of a large dining room, but it had seven rooms and more doors than windows! There was one large room in the front with a narrow corridor behind and three tiny rooms on each side of this passageway. The children of St. Charles came first, but by the beginning of October, there were three boarders from St. Louis. 
The winter was very cold; even the Missouri river froze that year and the nuns had to chop ice to obtain water. In the house, the water froze in the pitchers. Since they had arrived too late to be able to plant, food was scarce. The Bishop realized that they could not stay another year in those conditions and decided that they should move again. This time it was on the other side of the Missouri and a bit closer to St. Louis. The Bishop gave them some land in Florissant and the new convent was to be built there with the money he had from the Society in France. 
Although the new building would not be ready until near the end of December, the nuns had to leave St. Charles in September to begin school. The parish priest had been living in a farm-house belonging to the Bishop, but he moved out to give us possession. The move across the river was made by coaxing the cow onto the ferry with cabbages. Philippine was sorry to leave the children of the free school behind but realized that the move was necessary.

Sunday thoughts

Our God is a God of forgiveness. He seeks us out and wants to hold us in His arms. Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd. God only wants to love us and we only need to ask for His forgiveness and we have it. He loves to forgive. He also wants us to learn to forgive. When we love, it is easy to forgive. So let us love one another. 
"God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God and 
God in them. (1John:4:16)

Let us spend this Sunday resting in the love of the Heart of Jesus and asking Him to help all who are suffering. 

Sept. 17 On Forgiveness

The Gospel for this Sunday is all about forgiving. God forgives us always; there is no counting of the times that He forgives us for, sometimes, the same sin or failing. We only need to go and ask pardon and Jesus reaches out to us and forgives us with love. We are called to do the same.
I am sorry that I seem to have fallen behind with my blog; I really thought that I had scheduled up until Sunday and it seems that I had not done so. 
Because September is a busy month with new beginnings, let us pause today to breathe deeply; inhale, exhale, setting aside your list of things to do; breathe deeply and slowly, opening your heart. Now, breathing in, breathing out, let peace flow into you. Breathe deeply and slowly, opening your whole being. Then, breathing in and out, let peace go forth to the world. 

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

I have had devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows because of the devotion St. Madeleine Sophie had to Our Lady under this title. I prefer to think of Our Lady of Joy and love a statue I saw in the Cathedral in Barcelona on the first break-day of my thirty day retreat in Manresa. I came across her as I wandered around looking at the different statues. Our Lady is smiling and holding the Infant Jesus. I may not remember this accurately but the Infant was sort of standing on Mary's lap and laughing. Jesus must have been about a year old. It gave me joy to see them.
When I have had moments of suffering, then I turn to Mary under this title, Mother of Sorrows. She certainly understands what it is to watch a loved one suffer. She comes to console us when we need her.
I hope this feast is a consoling one for so many suffering from the hurricanes. I know what it is like to live in Miami after a hurricane with no power and no water.  No power also means no stoplights, no cooking if only electrical appliances, which may mean no coffee for those who really need that drink - I do not drink coffee but remember that some of my community were lost without their morning coffee after one of the hurricanes. Let us give this day to Mary and pray for all those who are suffering loss throughout our world. 

She set sail with four companions

Finally, in 1818, Philippine set sail for America with her four companions: Sisters Catherine Lamarre, Marguerite Manteau, Octavie Berthold, and Eugenie Aude. The trip took more than two months and was often rough and stormy. By May 29 they reached land and by morning were able to go by carriage to the convent of the Ursulines in New Orleans. The Ursulines had been in the city since 1727 and were so welcoming and showed such generosity to us not only then but for years they still were sending gifts to our nuns.
After six weeks the missionaries embarked again on the trip up the Mississippi. This trip took them forty days (I have driven it in a day!) but nineteen hours were spent waiting to get off a sand bar! They arrived in St. Louis on August 22. Having grown up in St. Louis, I can imagine the heat. They were given hospitality by General Bernard Pratte. St. Louis was to have been their destination but the Bishop told them that there were no houses available and he had found one to rent in St. Charles.
And so the little band had to go twenty-five miles further and cross the Missouri river to find their new home.

Still Enjoying Memories

Before I give this book over to Oakwood, I need to thank Jane Cannon for really giving us a "Legacy of Love and Learning." I have enjoyed the book immensely. Before returning to my blogs on St. Philippine Duchesne, I want to share with you the words of the ASH School Song which brings back so many memories:

Where the yellow old Missouri flows its waters toward the sea
Stands a home our hearts shall cherish through the years--
A home where sunny laughter combines most merrily
To make a gorgeous rainbow with our tears.

CHORUS: Academy, we love you, we crown you with laurels.
Dear old Academy! Dear old St. Charles!

And over all is brooding a peace that will abide,
For we tread the hallowed ground that saints have trod.
We are proud of Alma Mater- Alma Mater true and tried.
We're spoiled and happy children of our God.  

Hymn to Mater

Let angels hush their songs of holy praise
Quiet the throbbing strings of heaven's harps!
Earth still the striving of its numbered days,
While we with heav'n-caught echoes hail thy name:
Mater, Mater Admirabilis!

Thy robe is fashioned of the rose of dawn;
Thou are the dawn whence endless day shall spring.
Ah, who the lily at thy side can see,
When near it smiles the Lily of the King?
Mater, Mater Admirabilis!

Thy down dropt lids from passing gaze conceal
What paradise of prayer thy soul hath trod.
Oh, let the sweet curve of those lips reveal
All that thy heart foreshadows of thy God:
Mater, Mater Admirabilis!

I remember mostly singing this at Maryville and seem to remember hearing that Mother Callan had written it. I only remembered the first verses so perhaps that is what we sang often. 

The book has a great quote from Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ which ends saying: "God gave song, to give heart and courage and joy in life."

Wonderful Memories Triggered by Book

I am taking the liberty of copying this from the webpage of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles as I know many of my readers may be interested in this wonderful book - the first history of the Academy of the Sacred Heart founded in 1818 by St. Philippine Duchesne. I have just finished reading it and want to begin and read it again. The pictures are marvelous and one thing that I love are the songs given at the back of the book. These were all sung by us when in school and I want to copy the words of some that I could not remember. Jane Cannon has given us a treasure and I want my readers to know about it.

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Celebrating 200 Years

The 200th Birthday of the Academy of the Sacred Heart and 200 years of Sacred Heart Education in America

Posted on June 6, 2017September 5, 2017 by admin

The Book

A 10-year labor of love. That’s how Jeanne Burke O’Fallon ’69 referred to Jane Cannon’s recently-published book on the history of the Academy.

Jane Cannon presented highlights from her book at a reception Aug. 29 at Maryville University .

Two Hundred Years: A Legacy of Love and Learning spans 15 chapters and includes sketches of some of the most memorable RSCJ associated with the Academy, as well as lyrics of Sacred Heart songs and quotes about St. Charles from former students and from nuns who taught here. Archival photos help illustrate the story, providing a fascinating look back at the facilities, uniforms, statues, artwork, traditions and much more!
This publication has been underwritten by Mrs. Cannon’s alma mater, Maryville University, founded in St. Louis by the Religious of the Sacred Heart in 1872 and still carrying out the broad vision and mission of St. Philippine Duchesne.
Click here to pre-order copies of the book.

Maryville University underwrote the Academy history written by Jane Cannon with a gift of $25,000. From left to right: ASH and Maryville alum Jeanne Burke O’Fallon ’69, Maryville Alumni Director Erin Verry, author Jane Cannon, Academy Head of School Dr. Susan Dempf, former Head of School Sister Maureen Glavin.

Link: Honoring the Roots we Share

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Academy of the Sacred Heart

Address
619 N 2nd Street
St Charles, MO 63301
Phone
(636) 946-6127
Website
ash1818.org

More Information

• Bicentennial Prayer
• Society of the Sacred Heart - Bicentennial website
• Academy History and Timeline
• Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne
• Religious of the Sacred Heart

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Prayer needed

Last Sunday was very hot so no Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. We used to have this all day on Sundays but now only for an hour. It is lovely to have almost all of us in the Chapel for an hour of silent adoration. I usually review my week with Jesus as well as pray for our world. When I first came to Oakwood I was inspired to just go around and invite others for silent prayer together on Friday afternoons. It is optional but about twenty or more show up at least for the last half hour before we have our Happy Hour Supper at 5:00 on Fridays.

You may be assured that I often take all the readers of this blog to prayer with me in the Chapel each afternoon. I have been so concerned about the hurricanes and the earthquake that I am storming heaven for all those suffering; having lived through several hurricanes and earthquakes, I know what it is like and I feel for those who are experiencing them now. Florida, having been my home for over thirty years, is filling my thoughts as I write this.