St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal developed a practical, positive and heart-centered spirituality that has been a part of the church for over 400 years. Since the foundation of the Visitation Sisters at the beginning of the 17th century, this spiritual way of life has offered an opportunity for Christians to “live Jesus” through small deeds, simple actions, and a deep love of God.
This humble and gentle outlook on life has had countless followers over the years and has produced many saints.
Following St. Francis and St. Jane were St. Margaret Mary Alocoque, St. John Bosco, Mary de Sales Chappuis, Blessed Louis Brisson, and the Visitation Martyrs. These students of the devout life have all been recognized for their everyday approach to holiness. There are probably an untold number of Salesian saints that have never been formally canonized.
On November 18 the Church remembers St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, a French religious sister, and educator. She is the foundress of the American branch of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Those who know the life of St. Rose recognize that her experience as a young religious and her own path to holiness may make Rose a “hidden” saint in the Salesian tradition.
Born in Grenoble, France in 1769, Rose entered the Visitation monastery at age 19 and was trained in the teachings of St. Francis and St. Jane. When the French Revolution began, the convent was closed and Rose returned home. During these years she continued to live with her family while still following the Visitation rule. All the while she was taking care of the sick, the poor, and those displaced by the revolution.
When the Reign of Terror was over, Rose tried to revive the monastery with a small group of former sisters. Realizing they were too small to continue the work of the Visitation, they joined the Society of the Sacred Heart. This community was founded after the Revolution by Madeleine Sophie Barat (who was canonized a saint almost 100 years ago).
The new congregation had a similar spirit and mission as that of the Visitandines. They educated young women and were devoted to the Heart of Jesus. Unlike the Visitation order, the “Madames of the Sacred Heart” (their original name), was an active community that could go out into the villages and homes of the people.
No longer bound to a cloister, Rose felt the freedom to become a missionary and at the age of 49, she came to the United States to bring the Society of the Sacred Heart to the new world.
Like St. Jane, Rose was open to new situations in her life and was challenged to live the present moment. Like St. Francis, Rose had a missionary desire that led her to bring the Gospel to others. Dedicated to love God and neighbor, Rose encountered Christ in her daily life and tried to “live Jesus” in all of her actions.
At the age of 72 Rose fulfilled a life-long wish and worked with Native American children in Kansas. Her final years were spent in prayer and contemplation, sustained by the spirituality she learned as a young, cloistered, Visitandine nun. Rose Philippine Duchesne died in 1852 at the age of 83, a sister of the Sacred Heart but also a Salesian at heart. She was canonized in 1988.
Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS
Director of Development
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
