communitas et caritas

Two images to close out the days celebrating the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. This first window is from a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, clearly from before Philippine's canonization in 1988.  I don't fully understand all the symbolism, but you can see St. Charles in the upper left, and the Native Americans in the lower left. And, finally, I love this image, in part because it ties in major pieces of my life.  I had just graduated from Saint Louis University when I began my journey into the Society of the Sacred Heart and started learning about Philippine.  In many ways, she was someone I could relate to, and her story touched me deeply.  This image is in the old library room of Saint Louis University (now called Pere Marquette Gallery, but still part of the campus). In that room, they have four depictions of more contemporary saints (small "s") -- Gerard Manley Hopkins, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Elizabeth Ann Seton, and Philippin...

Though the feast of St Rose Philippine Duchesne was yesterday, it can't hurt to keep celebrating it! This is a newer statue of Philippine, commissioned by the city of St Charles, Missouri, just a few years ago.  It can be found at the corner of the property of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, the first school Philippine founded in the United States, in 1818.  I love the way it captures her affection for the child and the child's affection for her! Do you want more??  One more day--the grand finale will be posted tomorrow morning!

  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 ...

Continuing to celebrate the feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.  This statue stands outside the Old St. Ferdinand Church in Florissant, Missouri.  It was there in Florissant that she started her second school, in 1819.  She is often depicted with two students, one Native American and one of European descent, to show the populations she served.  While she only served the Native Americans for a brief time, the desire to be with them was in her heart for most of her life. Come back tomorrow for another!

The feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne is being celebrated in Sacred Heart communities around the world this weekend (the official day is Sunday).  In Philippine's honor, I'll be sharing some images associated with her over the next few days. This image is a stained glass window from Sacred Heart Schools - Sheridan Road in Chicago.  The oak leaves come from her name -- Duchesne -- which means "of the oak."  The quotation around it (Philippine's own words) reads "God does not require great achievements, but a heart that holds back nothing for self." Come back tomorrow for another image of Philippine!!

I was asked about a close-up of yesterday's photo of Philippine Duchesne in the tapestry at the Los Angeles Cathedral.  Here's a bigger picture.  The tapestries are so big, and they hang so high, that it is very difficult to get a close picture, but this isn't bad! St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Woman-who-prays-always, pray for us!  Teach us to pray!

Happy Feast!  I'm traveling today, so I don't have much time...but a blog post in pictures to celebrate one of my favorite saints!