Old St. Ferdinand Shrine
Encyclopedia
Old St. Ferdinand Shrine and Historic Site is located at no. 1 rue St. Francois, Florissant
, Missouri
and is owned, preserved, maintained and protected by the non-profit organization, Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Inc. The Shrine and Historic Site consists of four historic buildings on their original locations: the 1819 Convent, 1821 Church, 1840 Rectory and 1888 Schoolhouse.
The Convent, Church and Rectory may be visited for historic tours and religious pilgrimages. The Schoolhouse may be used for public or private gatherings. Artifacts from virtually every era in Old St. Ferdinand’s history are on display in the museum and throughout the buildings.
as well as the home of Catholic education in the Midwest. The 1819 Convent is the site of first Catholic
school between the Mississippi River and Rockies Mountain. The 1821 Church is the oldest church building built between the Mississippi River and Rockies Mountains. It was the home of the region's only canonized Catholic saint, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne.
and August Chouteau established the fur-trading village of St. Louis, French plantation owners settled in an area they called “Fleurissant.”
In 1782, August Chouteau named Francois Dunegant the “Commandant of Fleurissant and charged him with protecting the settlement from Indian attacks. The Louisiana Territory
had been ceded to Spain in 1763 and a 1788 census identified the settlement as “St. Ferdinand” with a population of 40 with seven plantations. At that time, Dunegant issued a land grant to establish a church and priest’s residence.
Local carpenter, Hyacenthe Deshetres oversaw the construction of the church. Two years later, Father Bernard de Limpach, a Capuchin
friar, began serving as the first pastor. The church was built on the current site of Spanish Land Grant Park, on the southeast corner of the block bounded by rue St. Charles, rue St Ferdinand, rue St. Louis and rue St. Denis. A parish cemetery was located next to the log church. The church was the center of ecclesiastical and civic life in St. Ferdinand de Fleurissant. Inside the church the sacraments were administered, devotions practiced and sermons delivered. The area outside the doors of the church was used for proclamations, business and real-estate transactions and meetings of a public nature. The old log church finally burned in 1836.
In 1818, Bishop Louis William Valentine Dubourg
arrived in St. Louis to establish his residence and Episcopal see. Bishop DuBourg went a long way to attract Catholic missionaries and educators inhabiting settlements throughout the territory serving both European-origin pioneers and Native Americans. St. Ferdinand would be directly affected by DuBourg’s evangelization program in the Upper Louisiana Purchase Territory. Among the religious DuBourg recruited following his ordination as bishop
in 1815 was a member of the recently formed Religious of the Sacred Heart, Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne
.
This humble woman would establish the first Catholic School for girls west of the Mississippi in St. Charles, Missouri, in 1818 then in 1819 relocated to Florissant. Later, she founded nine schools in the Louisiana Territory
and received the vows of the first Americans women to enter religious life in the Midwest. Due to Mother Duchesne’s prayer and support for the missionaries, she was credited with the success of the Jesuit
missions. In her last years she would be called “Quah-kah-ka-num-ad” or “Woman-who-prays-always” by members of the Patowamie tribe. Pope John Paul II
canonized
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in 1988.
monk who was serving as pastor. The sisters arrived in time for Christmas 1819, where Father de la Croix offered the first Mass in the Chapel at midnight on December 24. The Convent was the home to the Religious of the Sacred Heart and to boarding students (girls) and served as a school for both French-speaking, English-speaking and Native American students. Many personal letters exist from Philippine Duchesne and the students provide a glimpse into the daily hardships, Catholic devotions and personal interactions of residents of the Convent. It would be the saint’s home from 1819-1827 and from 1834-1840.
The first floor of the Convent includes a chapel, two parlors and a refectory (dinning room). Beneath the staircase to the second floor is a small closet in which Mother Duchesne slept so she could be close to the chapel. The second floor and attic space was used as a convent community room, dormitories, a novitiate and infirmary.
The Religious of the Sacred Heart left St. Ferdinand in 1846 and were replaced in 1847 by the Sisters of Loretto. The Sisters of Loretto was enlarged but the addition was removed, preserving only the original part known by St. Philippine Duchesne.
Mother Duchesne paid for the cornerstone of the church. Out of deference to her principal personal devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Francis Regis, the church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart
under the invocation of St. Ferdinand III and St. Francis Regis.
For the education of boys and missionnary work among the indigenous people Bishop DuBourg invited the Jesuits
. Charles Van Quickenborne arrived in Florissant with a large group of Belgian
novices in 1823. He was promptly put in charge of the parish. The Jesuits served there for the entire duration of the parish. Famous missionary Pierre-Jean DeSmet S.J. to the Native Americans was ordained a priest in St. Ferdinand church in 1827.
Fr. DeSmet traveled 180,000 miles visiting almost every Native American tribe the West and crossing the Atlantic a total of nineteen times to solicit financial support from nearly every European nation. He established Catholic missions at the request of tribal chiefs and bishops. DeSmet arranged peace between warring tribes, calmed uprisings and negotiated a treaty for the U.S. government eventually befriending the famous chief, Sitting Bull
. Even Protestant writers remarked that he was the sincerest friend to the Native Americans. Fr. DeSmet returned to St. Ferdinand regularly to minister to the parishioners, seek Mother Duchesne’s help and consult fellow Jesuits.
Bishop Joseph Rosati
, the first bishop of St. Louis consecrated the church in 1832. The church was lengthened in 1880.
Cardinal John Carberry, Archbishop of St. Louis transferred all buildings and property to the Friends of Old St. Ferdinand in 1978. All four buildings were included on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979. With the canonization of Mother Duchesne in 1988 the Archdiocese of St. Louis designated the historic complex as a Shrine to St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.
Florissant, Missouri
Florissant is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in northern St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city has a total population of 52,158 in 2010 census.-History:...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and is owned, preserved, maintained and protected by the non-profit organization, Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Inc. The Shrine and Historic Site consists of four historic buildings on their original locations: the 1819 Convent, 1821 Church, 1840 Rectory and 1888 Schoolhouse.
The Convent, Church and Rectory may be visited for historic tours and religious pilgrimages. The Schoolhouse may be used for public or private gatherings. Artifacts from virtually every era in Old St. Ferdinand’s history are on display in the museum and throughout the buildings.
Significance
The site represents a physical link to American pioneer times, the North American Jesuit Missions to the Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
as well as the home of Catholic education in the Midwest. The 1819 Convent is the site of first Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
school between the Mississippi River and Rockies Mountain. The 1821 Church is the oldest church building built between the Mississippi River and Rockies Mountains. It was the home of the region's only canonized Catholic saint, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne.
History
Around 1767, just a few years after Pierre LacledePierre Laclède
Pierre Laclède or Pierre Laclède Liguest was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and "stepson" Auguste Chouteau, founded St...
and August Chouteau established the fur-trading village of St. Louis, French plantation owners settled in an area they called “Fleurissant.”
In 1782, August Chouteau named Francois Dunegant the “Commandant of Fleurissant and charged him with protecting the settlement from Indian attacks. The Louisiana Territory
Louisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805 until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed to Missouri Territory...
had been ceded to Spain in 1763 and a 1788 census identified the settlement as “St. Ferdinand” with a population of 40 with seven plantations. At that time, Dunegant issued a land grant to establish a church and priest’s residence.
Local carpenter, Hyacenthe Deshetres oversaw the construction of the church. Two years later, Father Bernard de Limpach, a Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
friar, began serving as the first pastor. The church was built on the current site of Spanish Land Grant Park, on the southeast corner of the block bounded by rue St. Charles, rue St Ferdinand, rue St. Louis and rue St. Denis. A parish cemetery was located next to the log church. The church was the center of ecclesiastical and civic life in St. Ferdinand de Fleurissant. Inside the church the sacraments were administered, devotions practiced and sermons delivered. The area outside the doors of the church was used for proclamations, business and real-estate transactions and meetings of a public nature. The old log church finally burned in 1836.
In 1818, Bishop Louis William Valentine Dubourg
Louis William Valentine Dubourg
Louis William Valentine Dubourg was a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who played an active role in the growth of the church in the early years of the United States. He was born in Cap Français, St...
arrived in St. Louis to establish his residence and Episcopal see. Bishop DuBourg went a long way to attract Catholic missionaries and educators inhabiting settlements throughout the territory serving both European-origin pioneers and Native Americans. St. Ferdinand would be directly affected by DuBourg’s evangelization program in the Upper Louisiana Purchase Territory. Among the religious DuBourg recruited following his ordination as bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in 1815 was a member of the recently formed Religious of the Sacred Heart, Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne
Rose Philippine Duchesne
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, R.S.C.J., was a Catholic Religious Sister and French-American saint. She spent the last half of her life teaching and serving the people of the Midwestern United States....
.
This humble woman would establish the first Catholic School for girls west of the Mississippi in St. Charles, Missouri, in 1818 then in 1819 relocated to Florissant. Later, she founded nine schools in the Louisiana Territory
Louisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805 until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed to Missouri Territory...
and received the vows of the first Americans women to enter religious life in the Midwest. Due to Mother Duchesne’s prayer and support for the missionaries, she was credited with the success of the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
missions. In her last years she would be called “Quah-kah-ka-num-ad” or “Woman-who-prays-always” by members of the Patowamie tribe. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in 1988.
The 1819 Convent
The Convent was built in the Federal Style under the supervision of Father Duran, a TrappistTRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
monk who was serving as pastor. The sisters arrived in time for Christmas 1819, where Father de la Croix offered the first Mass in the Chapel at midnight on December 24. The Convent was the home to the Religious of the Sacred Heart and to boarding students (girls) and served as a school for both French-speaking, English-speaking and Native American students. Many personal letters exist from Philippine Duchesne and the students provide a glimpse into the daily hardships, Catholic devotions and personal interactions of residents of the Convent. It would be the saint’s home from 1819-1827 and from 1834-1840.
The first floor of the Convent includes a chapel, two parlors and a refectory (dinning room). Beneath the staircase to the second floor is a small closet in which Mother Duchesne slept so she could be close to the chapel. The second floor and attic space was used as a convent community room, dormitories, a novitiate and infirmary.
The Religious of the Sacred Heart left St. Ferdinand in 1846 and were replaced in 1847 by the Sisters of Loretto. The Sisters of Loretto was enlarged but the addition was removed, preserving only the original part known by St. Philippine Duchesne.
The 1821 Church
The current church replaced the old log church in 1821. The current church is the oldest the west of the Mississippi and east of the Rocky Mountains.Mother Duchesne paid for the cornerstone of the church. Out of deference to her principal personal devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Francis Regis, the church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
under the invocation of St. Ferdinand III and St. Francis Regis.
For the education of boys and missionnary work among the indigenous people Bishop DuBourg invited the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
. Charles Van Quickenborne arrived in Florissant with a large group of Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
novices in 1823. He was promptly put in charge of the parish. The Jesuits served there for the entire duration of the parish. Famous missionary Pierre-Jean DeSmet S.J. to the Native Americans was ordained a priest in St. Ferdinand church in 1827.
Fr. DeSmet traveled 180,000 miles visiting almost every Native American tribe the West and crossing the Atlantic a total of nineteen times to solicit financial support from nearly every European nation. He established Catholic missions at the request of tribal chiefs and bishops. DeSmet arranged peace between warring tribes, calmed uprisings and negotiated a treaty for the U.S. government eventually befriending the famous chief, Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
. Even Protestant writers remarked that he was the sincerest friend to the Native Americans. Fr. DeSmet returned to St. Ferdinand regularly to minister to the parishioners, seek Mother Duchesne’s help and consult fellow Jesuits.
Bishop Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati was a U.S. Catholic bishop. He served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843....
, the first bishop of St. Louis consecrated the church in 1832. The church was lengthened in 1880.
The 1840 Rectory
The rectory was home to the Jesuit priests that served St. Ferdinand. The first floor consisted of rooms for parish meetings and the second floor was the residential space for the priests.The 1888 Schoolhouse
A parish school was constructed in 1888 and a second floor was added in 1889.Historic recognition and designation as a shrine
In 1955 Old St. Ferdinand ceased to be a parish and the boundaries were redrawn. The Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Inc. was established in 1958 to maintain and preserve the historic structures. Fire damaged the Church and Rectory in 1966 but they were completely repaired and restored.Cardinal John Carberry, Archbishop of St. Louis transferred all buildings and property to the Friends of Old St. Ferdinand in 1978. All four buildings were included on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979. With the canonization of Mother Duchesne in 1988 the Archdiocese of St. Louis designated the historic complex as a Shrine to St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.