Images of Philippine

 

Happy Feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne!

This is one of my favorite images of Philippine, which I posted just a couple of weeks ago.  It is from the Cathedral of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.  I like it so much because she is so real to me in this picture--she has such a beautiful, normal human face (rather than any glorified saintly face (though it's that too) and rather than the cold solid material of a statue).  As I stood in the aisle of the Cathedral taking this picture, I stopped and talked with her, which couldn't be more natural at that moment.  I felt her presence in a way that I didn't expect, especially since I've been to her Shrine and prayed in the presence of her body, on the property where she lived, ministered, and died.  But in this image, there was something about the kindness in her face, the joy at watching the altar (because that's what the image faces), and the wrinkled yet gentle hands of an old woman that made me feel at home, loved, and known by her.

Happy Feast, Philippine.  Pray for us, be with us, love with us.


(And, though her feast is today, there are more images to share!  Check back tomorrow!)

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