We were delighted to welcome French Archbishop Thierry Jordan, of the Diocese of Reims, to the Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne and the Academy of the Sacred Heart while he was in St. Louis for liturgical celebrations of the 250th birthday of the City and the 800th birthday of St. Louis the King.
Archbishop Jordan has special ties to both St. Philippine and to St. Louis. He is a member of the Jordan and Perier families—cousins of Philippine Duchesne. (Many who met him see a family resemblance to the Saint.) In addition, St. Louis IX was crowned King of France in the Cathedral of Reims, where Archbishop Jordan serves.
The Archbishop, along with Prince Louis de Bourbon (a descendent of St. Louis) and his wife, the Princess Margaret, and Bishop Edward Rice of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, were all welcomed for a visit, a semi-private mass in the Shrine, and a tour of the historic portion of the school. Two French-speaking RSCJ, Sisters Fran Gimber and Carolyn Osiek, accompanied the Archbishop on his tour, and Sister Margaret Munch gave a tour to the English-speaking visitors. Our Fourth Class students helped us to greet these guests and participated in the French mass with their singing and their responses to the prayers during the liturgy. Afterward, the visitors enjoyed a luncheon in the Conference Room.
The Society, the Academy, the Shrine and the children at the Academy all presented gifts to the Archbishop to commemorate this special visit to his saint-cousin’s first and last American home.
On this day, we felt a strong connection to our French heritage!
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CLICK HERE for more photos of this and other Archdiocesan anniversary events.
