Mosaic of Saint Louis IX, King

King Louis IX administering justice at his court. Mosaic at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, in Saint Louis, Missouri

Photos of Old Saint Ferdinand Shrine, in Florissant, Missouri

HERE ARE PHOTOGRAPHS of Old Saint Ferdinand's Shrine, in Florissant, Missouri, which is 17 highway miles northwest of downtown Saint Louis. This is perhaps the oldest church in the Louisiana Purchase territory, dating from 1819. This was the home of the missionary Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne (29 August 1769 - 18 November 1852), co-foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart in the U.S., who was known to the Pottowatomi Indians as the "Woman-Who-Prays-Always".

Mother Duchesne was declared venerable in 1900, beatified in 1940, and canonized in 1988.



On Saturday, December 9th, 2006, the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem hosted a conference at the shrine, followed by Vespers and Compline.



This altar dates from 1870.



Crucifixion painting and the sanctuary light next to the altar. These photos are fuzzy and grainy because I didn't use a tripod to stabilize the camera.



Sacred Heart of Jesus above the altar.



Statues of an angel and Saint Ferdinand III, King of Leon and Castile (1198 - 1252), whose life goals were the propagation of the Faith and the liberation of Spain from the Saracens.



Under the altar is a wax effigy, containing relics of Saint Valentine, Roman martyr, from A.D. 270. As a young child visiting this church, I was horrified by this dead body under the altar, and to make it worse, it was the Saint of Valentine's Day greeting card fame!



The Second Gospel, John 1, on the altar.



The tabernacle. This church remains consecrated, and Mass is occasionally celebrated, but the Blessed Sacrament is not reserved here.



Baptismal font.



An indulgenced Mission Crucifix, provided by the Jesuits. I think it was this crucifix that made me realize, as a young child, that Christ was executed by the Romans: earlier I thought that the Romans were schoolyard bullies, and had just tied him to the cross. Yeah, I was dumb kid.



Station of the cross.



A painting in the church. I'm not sure who is this Saint. [UPDATE - a reader commented: "The saint that you didn't know was St. Cecelia. She was martyred in Rome and was found in that position when she died. One finger extended in one hand for one God and the three fingers extended in the other hand symbolizing the Trinity."]




Painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary



1792 SESQUI-CENTENNIAL 1942.

An American serviceman holding the flag, next to a plane with the words "IN GOD WE TRUST", shakes hands with a priest with the Vatican flag. while Saint Ferdinand looks on.




A model of how the church looked when first constructed. The logs are now covered by brick and plaster.



Detail of the ceiling, curved, and made out of strips of wood like a barrel .



The pipe organ in the loft.



A view of the nave. Note the ornate crystal chandeliers.



Where a transept may be in an ordinary church, are here instead doors into the side-buildings. This is a doorway into the rectory; now a museum and gift shop; on the other side is a door to the convent. Above the doors are archways to the second story of the buildings, allowing a view into the sanctuary.



The museum has a collection of dolls in historical nuns' habits. The loss of the habit after the Second Vatican Council seems to have led to a loss of identity in some religious orders.



Statues in the museum.



Holy medals.



Mother Duchesne used this confessional for years.



These are old tabernacles used in this church, dating from 1789, 1821, and 1832. E.V.S.O.D. stands for Ego Vobiscum Sum Omnibus Diebus "I am with you all days" (Matthew 28:20).

The adjoining Convent
was built for
Mother Rose Philippine
Duchesne
of
The Society of the Sacred Heart
in 1819-1820
by Father De La Croix
+
Mother Duchesne
lived here for many years
teaching the children of the early
settlers and instructing the
Indian children.
Laboring amidst great privations
to establish Christianity in
a New Land.



Blessed
Rose Philippine
Duchesne
Co-foundress of the
Society of the
Sacred Heart
in the United States
arrived in the village of
St. Ferdinand de Fleurissant
December 21, 1819

Mother Duchesne slept here, in a closet, under the stairs.



The faithful leave prayer intentions in the Saint's tiny bedroom.



Old processional cross and incensorium.



The convent's kitchen.



Dormitory on the second floor of the convent.



My guide said that the convent's garret is scary, even in the daytime.



Parlor of the convent.



Devotional cabinet of Blessed (now Saint) Philippine Duchesne.



The front door of the church, with Christmas lights.

Click here for older exterior photos of the shrine.
Newer photos of the shrine can be found here and here

Address:
1 Rue St. François
Florissant, MO 63031

Help Wanted - Director of Music

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Church Music position, St. Joseph, MO
http://www.musicasacra.com/2006/12/church-music-position-st-joseph-mo.html

St. James Catholic Church and School, 5815 Pryor Ave., St. Joseph, MO 64504. 816-238-0853. Director of Music for the parish and Music Teacher in the grade school. This is a full-time position with responsibilities divided between parish and school. Minimum educational requirements include the completion of a private study level music certification. A degree in music is preferred. This position requires familiarity and facility with music for Catholic liturgical worship. The ideal candidate is a fully practicing Roman Catholic, with a comprehensive repertoire which includes Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony. We offer a full benefits package, and salary is commensurate with degree and experience. Interested candidates should forward their resume with cover letter and references, by February 28, 2007, to the attention of Fr. Joseph W. Totton, pastor at the church address above. Interested applicants may also respond by email (attachments in .doc or .txt format) to fathertotton@gmail.com

Apothegms of Saint John of the Cross

From the Discalced Carmelites in the Austrian Region, come these apothegms, or spiritual aphorisms, of Saint John of the Cross:

• It is better to be burdened and in company with the strong than to be unburdened and with the weak. When you are burdened you are close to God, your strength, who abides with the afflicted. When you are relieved of the burden you are close to yourself, your own weakness; for virtue and strength of soul grow and are confirmed in the trials of patience.
• The virtuous soul that is alone and without a master is like a lone burning coal; it will grow colder rather than hotter.
• God desires the smallest degree of purity of conscience in you more than all the works you can perform.
• Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?
• The soul that carries within itself the least appetite for worldly things bears more unseemliness and impurity in its journey to God than if it were troubled by all the hideous and annoying temptations and darknesses describable; for, so long as it does not consent to these temptations, a soul thus tried can approach God confidently, by doing the will of His Majesty, who proclaims: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you" [Mt. 11:28].
• Those who do not allow their appetites to carry them away will soar in their spirit as swiftly as the bird that lacks no feathers.
• The very pure spirit does not bother about the regard of others or human respect, but communes inwardly with God, alone and in solitude as to all forms, and with delightful tranquility, for the knowledge of God is received in divine silence.
• A soul enkindled with love is a gentle, meek, humble, and patient soul.
• Well and good if all things change, Lord God, provided we are rooted in you.
• Reflect that the most delicate flower loses its fragrance and withers fastest; therefore guard yourself against seeking to walk in a spirit of delight, for you will not be constant. Choose rather for yourself a robust spirit, detached from everything, and you will discover abundant peace and sweetness, for delicious and durable fruit is gathered in a cold and dry climate.
• Blessed are they who, setting aside their own pleasure and inclination, consider things according to reason and justice before doing them.
• The soul that journeys to God, but does not shake off its cares and quiet its appetites, is like one who drags a cart uphill.
• See that you do not interfere in the affairs of others, nor even allow them to pass through your memory; for perhaps you will be unable to accomplish your own task.
• Abide in peace, banish cares, take no account of all that happens, and you will serve God according to his good pleasure, and rest in him.
• How is it you dare to relax so fearlessly, since you must appear before God to render an account of the least word and thought?
• Do not rejoice vainly, for you know how many sins you have committed and you do not know how you stand before God; but have fear together with confidence.
• Bridle your tongue and your thoughts very much, direct your affection habitually toward God, and your spirit will be divinely enkindled.
• The soul that walks in love neither tires others nor grows tired.
• The purest suffering produces the purest understanding.
• Let your speech be such that no one may be offended, and let it concern things that would not cause you regret were all to know of them.
• Abandon evil, do good, and seek peace.

Feast of Saint John of the Cross

TODAY IS THE FEAST DAY of Saint John of the Cross (June 24, 1542 – December 14, 1591), Spanish Carmelite friar, mystic, and Doctor of the Church. Along with fellow mystic and Doctor, Saint Teresa of Ávila, John founded the reform order of Discalced Carmelites. (Photo taken in the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Saint Louis County, Missouri.)

Today, meditation and mysticism seem to be the exclusive domain of either Oriental religions or the New Age, but this is not true. The West has a long tradition of meditation (which comes from a Latin word meaning "measure") and mysticism (which comes from a Greek word meaning "initiate"). These have deep European philosophical roots going back at least as far as Pythagoras and Plato, and in Western religion with the Bible's Song of Songs and Psalms.

Mysticism, as is commonly thought of today, implies fuzzy New Age thinking, indistinguishable from drug-induced delirium. But authentic Western mysticism has a philosophically rigorous basis, even though it is highly subjective. Sadly, the Reformation jettisoned the philosophical framework around much of religion, and so often modern mystics confuse their subjective visions with the Will of God. You often see this when people speak of being "moved by the spirit" in directions that seem heterodox.

Along with much that was beautiful, good, and true in the Church, the authentic, orthodox mysticism of John and Teresa was mainly abandoned back in the 1960s. However, when the Church ignored its mystical patrimony, the vacuum was filled with Eastern, heterodox novelties.

But Teresa and John's writings deserve a revival within Christian circles. John of the Cross' poetry is considered some of the best in the Spanish language, and reads very well in English translation. I'm currently reading Teresa's Interior Castle, and it is awesome and even funny.

Writings of Saint John of the Cross:

• Collected works from the Discalced Carmelites of Austria.
• Christian Classics Ethereal Library, a few works, available in many formats.
• Ascent of Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, The Living Flame of Love, at EWTN.
  

Writings of Saint Teresa of Ávila:

• Project Gutenberg, autobiography
• Christian Classics Ethereal Library, in many formats
• Interior Castle, Way of Perfection, Autobiography, at EWTN.
• Letters, from U. Penn.
  

See also The Metaphysics of Mysticism, at http://www.johnofthecross.com, a philosophical exploration of John's mysticism.