A newly-created bronze bust of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne was given a grand send-off on November 17 – an unveiling at the school Philippine founded in 1818, and a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis.

Following the Mass at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles, Missouri, and a blessing of the sculpture, it was crated and trucked to the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, where it will have a permanent home in the Hall of Famous Missourians in the building’s rotunda.

The statue was commissioned by Catherine Hanaway, U.S. attorney and former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. When she was speaker, Hanaway was privileged with the task of choosing a famous Missourian to join the twenty-six others in the hall. Noting that she had been the first woman to hold the speaker’s post, she said she had decided to choose a pioneer woman.

"I wanted someone who was a first," she said. She added that Philippine, who came to Missouri as a missionary at the age of 49, is an inspiration for people who are "getting older and still want to accomplish something." Further, she said, "Philippine gave us a very important model for what to do when times are difficult. She often felt alone and isolated [as a foreigner in this country] and what did she do? She turned to prayer. It is a great example for all of us in the hardest moments."

Other famous Missourians in the hall include Mark Twain, George Washington Carver, Harry Truman, Walt Disney, Stan Musial and J.C. Penney.

Philippine Duchesne founded the first free school west of the Mississippi when she arrived in St. Charles in 1818. Late in life, she ministered to the Potawatomi Indians in Kansas, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

In his homily, Archbishop Burke paid tribute to the saint’s accomplishments. "We are called to imitate her in following Christ in our lives," he told the congregation, which included students, faculty and staff of the academy, members of Associated Alumnae/i of the Sacred Heart, who were attending a regional meeting in St. Charles, and several members of Philippine’s religious order, the Society of the Sacred Heart.

Maureen Glavin, RSCJ, head of school in St. Charles, told the academy students, who are in grades K-8, that we are able to follow Jesus only when we understand how much God loves us. "What I think Philippine would like to say to you is that you are perfect. You are beautiful. You are special," Sister Glavin said. "Each of you has a special role to play in life, but you can do it only if you truly believe you are loved."

The artist who created the sculpture, Sabra Tull Meyer, was present at the Mass and blessing.