In this her special anniversary year, what lessons has Philippine Duchesne to teach us? We recall that her character traits were apparent at an early age—deep faith, zealous outreach to people who are poor, love of family and culture, indomitable strength, unbending will, and idealism. With this particular personality she entered into life wholeheartedly, almost recklessly, undaunted by risks and setbacks.

When Philippine finally arrived in Sugar Creek at age 71, she was ill and weak. Her sisters, perhaps rightly, felt it foolhardy that she went on the mission at her age and in fragile health, and she had to return to St. Charles the next year. But those “souls” for whom she came saw something else in her:

The Indians seemed to appreciate her from the moment she set foot in the Sugar Creek encampment. Even though she could not teach their children…or cook for them…or read their language…they loved her and respected her and brought her all manner of things—fresh corn, newly-laid eggs, chickens, wild plums, sweet, clean straw for her pallet.
(Philippine Duchesne, by Louise Callan, RSCJ, abridged edition, p. 430)

The Potawatomi recognized in her what was her essence. As Janet Reberdy writes in her poem, “Philippine”: She did not know it then, but her life was a prayer. Could this be true for each of us? If we don’t think of our life as “a prayer,” maybe it’s because our mistakes and flaws are too apparent to us as Philippine’s were to her, and so we don’t even dare to imagine it. But prayer, after all, is God’s gift, as is our life, and Philippine believed this. She stands before us today as a woman who lived as well as she could the call she heard from God, and as, Janet Reberdy goes on to write, She did not know it then that, like God, she was great enough to fail.

We, too, as followers of Jesus, are being called to a deep life with God and to a willingness to go wherever God leads us, at whatever cost. Today we can be encouraged by Philippine’s faith, zeal, indomitable strength and loving presence among us.

She does matter, this Woman Who Always prays.
Still she treads the wheat fields
Of the America she did not understand:…
(“Philippine” by Janet Reberdy, RSCJ, in Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ: A Collection, p.15)

Pray for us, Philippine, that our lives may be a prayer, and pray for this country we often don’t understand but want to love, and for our world and all its needs.

Happy Feast, and much love,

Ellen Collesano, Joan Gannon, Sheila Hammond, Kathleen Hughes, Paula Toner