Duchesne, Rose Philippine

Duchesne, Rose Philippine

(1769–1862) Catholic religious foundress and saint; born in Grenoble, France. A member of the Order of the Sacred Heart, she emigrated to the U.S.A. (1818) hoping to work among the Indians. Instead her group was sent to Missouri, where she founded Catholic orphanages and schools. In 1841 she was allowed to spend a year among the Potowatami Indians, who called her "the woman who always prays." Known for her austerity and zeal, she was beatified in 1940 and canonized in 1988.