• Ask Benzi-Grr
|
For Children Saints in Action Saint Rose Duchesne 1769-1852 Rose was born in France and came to the United States in 1818 as a Visitation sister. She later started the order known as the Society of the Sacred Heart. Rose longed to work among the Native Americans. Here's a story that tells about Sister Rose fulfilling her dream. A SMILE IN ANY LANGUAGE Sitting on an old wooden box in the sun didn't bother her. She might be 72, but Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne was so happy. Since arriving at Sugar Creek, Mother Rose felt like the joyful meadowlarks that flew and sang all over Kansas. The morning was hot, but that didn't stop two Potowatami women from squeezing as close to Mother Rose as they could. They stared hard at her hands, watching the knitting needles flash. Mother Rose was teaching them to knit socks for the winter. "That's good!" laughed the nun. One of the women had started to correctly knit the stitch Mother was teaching today. Mother Rose often forgot that the Indians spoke no English. She was sorry that she didn't speak their language. quot;Too old to learn," she said, shaking her head with regret. She had no regrets about coming to Kansas from St. Louis. The ride had been long and dangerous. The sisters found no luxuries at the Indian mission when they arrived. Just a bare Indian hut. But Mother Rose Philippine had dreamed of these days. As a young girl in France, she wanted to be a missionary to the Indians. "Quah-kah-ka-num-ad!" Mother Rose looked up from the knitting lesson, trying to see who called her. Her Indian name meant "the woman who prays always." Mother Rose finally saw a little boy tossing a rawhide ball high into the air. When he caught it, he looked to see if Mother Rose was watching. Mother Rose smiled, a good way to speak when you didn't know the language.
|
