Homily Feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (2020)
Homily Feast of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (2020)
St. Rose was born in France in 1769. She joined the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus when she was 49 years old. She was sent to do missionary work in the United States. When she arrived in New Orleans there were no quarters for her or the other sisters.
She was then sent to St. Louis. The church leaders there told her to establish her convent in St. Charles, Missouri. It was described as the remotest village in America. Sr. Rose thought this was an odd choice, but she dutifully established a convent there for frontier children. It was the first free school west of the Missouri River.
St. Rose founded many schools and orphanages on the frontier. She decided at the age of 71 to start a school for Native American children for the Potawatomi Tribe. Unfortunately, she could not master the language. All she could do was pray for the success of her sisters. The natives nicknamed her, “Woman who prays always.”
Eventually St. Rose went back to St. Charles. She spent the last decade of her life living in a small room under a stairwell near the chapel. She endured great loneliness. She was blind and weak and yearned for letters for home.
Sr. Rose is a good role model for us at the present time. She had many successes in ministry, but also endured many disappointments. At times all she could do was pray. But she maintained her commitment to the end.
We are all used to be able to be on the go, but right now are activities are slowed to a crawl. This is hard. We long to be with the people we love. We may feel like we are doing nothing significant. We need to be steadfast and continue to pray.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I feel like I am receiving surprises too often these days? What are the things that make me grit my teeth and then go on?
- When I pray do I feel like I am wasting my time? Am I learning that this is sometimes the best way to spend my time?
Dear Parishioners,
We received word today that Alberta DeDoncker has died. Her funeral will be on Friday at 10 a.m. here at Sacred Heart. Alberta was one of those great volunteers that we have at Sacred Heart. She did the little things. For instance, she was the person who took care of our candles in the church. She would show up every day to fill the vigil light stands. She also counted money at Sacred Heart.
Before COVID hit she would arrive every Friday night with a fish dinner for Fr. Matthew and myself. She was always working at the Legion on Friday night. She was super volunteer all the way around.
Please pray for Alberta and her family. She will be greatly missed. She was an example of unselfish service to the community.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark