Member Log InOn Wednesday, October 11, 2023, members of the Serra Clubs of Johnson County and Kansas City, KS, left the KC metro area destined for Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO, for the annual seminary visit.
Events unfolded with an afternoon visit to the Shrine of St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne (photo right), a French nun who, in 1816 at the age of 47, responded to a call from the bishop of the Louisiana Territory (himself a Frenchman) to come and build a school for Native Americans and French children in the Louisiana Territory. She and four of her sisters arrived in St. Charles, MO, in 1818, settling in a small cabin. It was there she founded the first order of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and opened the first Sacred Heart School outside of France.
The mission was not without challenges: Philippine had trouble learning English and interacting with the Native Americans, and also faced financial difficulties. She also founded the first free school west of the Mississippi that year, and within the decade, founded six houses in the Mississippi Valley.
In 1841, Philippine went to work directly with the Native American community in Sugar Creek, Kansas (within the boundaries of what is now the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas), where she founded a girls’ school. At age 71, she was unable to do much physical labor and dedicated herself to much time in prayer. The Potawatomi called her "the-Woman-Who-Prays-Always."
In 1988, Rose Philippine Duchesne became the fourth citizen of the United States to be canonized. Her feast day is November 18.
After the visit and a quick hotel check-in, the group enjoyed an Italian dinner at Zia's on the
Hill with seminarians at Kenrick Glennon. Two photos from the evening are included here. A delicious meal and a great evening were enjoyed by all!
Thursday morning, October 12, began with early breakfast at the hotel, after which the group toured the Shrine of St. Joseph, the site of a Vatican-authenticated miracle healing involving a Mr. Ignatius Strecker (relation to former Archbishop Strecker unknown), a German immigrant near death from a work injury, whose wife urged him to go to St. Joseph's Church where a relic of then - Blessed Peter Claver had come into the custody of the pastor, who blessed the parish at a weekday Mass to which Mr. Strecker had drug himself with every ounce of energy he could muster. Having been told by his doctors that he had two weeks to live, and at the insistence of his wife, he made his way to the pastor, who allowed him to kiss the relic.
Within two weeks, Mr. Strecker had been restored to full health and returned to work. The miracle healing, once confirmed through Vatican investigation, was chosen as one of two miracles used in the canonization process of St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest who dedicated his life to serving African slaves in Colombia, South America.
A second m
ircle associated with St. Joseph's Church occurred during a cholera outbreak in St. Louis in 1866. The parish was experiencing as many as 20 burials per day, when the pastor gathered parishioners together in the church and the congregation made a solemn vow to to St. Joseph, that if, through his intercession, God would protect the parishioners from the Cholera epidemic, they would erect a suitable monument to their titular patron in thanksgiving.
Not a single additional member of the parish died from cholera during the epidemic. In return, the parish erected the "Altar of Answered Prayers" in the church, which can be seen in this photo (left.) The main nave of the church is pictured right.
From the shrine, the group then migrated to Kenrick Glennon Seminary and met the seminarians for mid-day Mass and lunch in the refectory. Two photos of the seminary chapel appear below. A group photo of Serrans and seminarians at lunch is also included. Photos provided courtesy of John Caton.
The group wishes to express its gratitude to Kelly Kmiecek, Administrative Assistant, Vocations Office at the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and seminarian, Will Carey, for their collective efforts in organizing this year's Serran Seminary visit. 
The group looks forward to next year, and a return trip to St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, CO.
