Today November 18

Today is the feast of St. Philippine Duchesne, aka Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769 - 1852). What a great saint! And a friend of another saint: St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart, which Philippine joined. But it wasn't the first order poor Philippine tried out: she tried, over her liberal, republican, atheistic father's objections, to join the Visitation Sisters first. She "eloped" to them, as it were, staying behind at the convent after a casual visit there with her aunt (who had then to tell the news to her dad.) He of course came to the convent to collect her, but this strong-willed saint gave an impassioned plea (admittedly from behind the relative protection of the grille) and her father agreed to let her stay. She thought she was home free, but then the French Revolution broke out and she was turned out of the convent, along with all the other sisters. She wasn't idle, however -- she risked life and limb bringing food, medicine and the Sacraments to folks on death row during the Reign of Terror. She even smuggled priests in to them (since she herself couldn't give them the Last Rites). Then when it was over, she thought she had it made: due to her relative wealth (her father had been a prominent lawyer), she bought her old convent and invited all the former nuns back, including the ancient Superior. The fight had gone out of them, however, and one by one they left the convent until only Philippine was left. Depressed but not discouraged, she joined Madame Barat's order when she was 49 years old! That was certainly a late vocation, especially in those days.

But Philippine's age-defying accomplishments were not ended. She and four other sisters headed off to America from France, and endured many years of hardship in the wilderness, including poverty, vermin, and freezing cold. Often the milk froze in the bucket from the barn to the house. But she endured it all -- even spiritual privations, such as the lack of priests. "Be ready for all," said her bishop. "One must plow before one raises a crop." True.

She was always friendly and selflessly charitable (including providing food and clothing) to the intrepid Jesuits of the Missouri mission (including the explorer Father de Smet). So the priest in charge there agreed to let Mother Philippine establish a new mission at Sugar Creek, Kansas among the Potawatomi Indians -- even though she was 72 years old! She never did learn their difficult language, so she never taught, but she sure taught by example, spending so many hours praying before the Blessed Sacrament that the Indians called her Quah-kah-ka-num-ad, or "Woman-who-prays-always." Amen.

When she died in peace on this day in 1852, she engendered a huge outpouring of love and admiration. Many, many folks attended her funeral -- including many Protestants.

During the ritual exhumation three years later -- to move her body to the oratory from the garden cemetery in St. Charles, Missouri -- it was discovered that her body was perfectly incorrupt. This being now the age of photography, a picture was taken, showing her in perfect repose. Her body has since become just bones and dust. She was beatified in 1940 and canonized in 1988. St. Philippine Duchesne, pray for us.