Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne - St. Charles, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 47.181 W 090° 28.866
15S E 718785 N 4296081
Shine for Saint Philippine Duchesne is the final resting place of the fourth American saint located in St. Charles, Missouri
Waymark Code: WM59MW
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 12/01/2008
Views: 10
"St. Philippine Duchesne made her first establishment in the New World in 1818, opening what was to become the first free school west of the Mississippi. From that time until her death in 1852, she established a foothold for Sacred Heart education in America by founding schools not only in St. Charles but also in Florissant, New Orleans and St. Louis.
Following her death in 1852, she was buried on the grounds of the Academy. After three years, her body was exhumed, found to be miraculously intact, and reverently interred in a crypt within a simple octagonal shrine in the front yard of the Academy.
Following the beatification of Mother Duchesne in 1940, an order came from Rome decreeing that her remains be removed from the little octagonal shrine and suitably deposited indoors. This was done in 1949, at which time they were placed in a marble sarcophagus housed in an oratory prepared in the old “back porch” area of the original (1835) convent.
The Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne was begun in 1951 to honor this pioneer Religious of the Sacred Heart. Cardinal Glennon of St. Louis was one of the strong proponents of the building of the Shrine, which he envisioned as a basilica to honor the new Beata. However, he died in 1946 and so it was Archbishop Ritter who presided over the groundbreaking. On June 13, 1952, the sarcophagus was moved into the finished Shrine." - Shrine website
Saint Philippine Duchesne was Beatified in 1940 by Pope Pius XII and Canonized July 3, 1988 by Pope John Paul II. The shrine is the final resting place for only Saint Philippine Duchesne.