Philippine Duchesne: A Woman with the Poor

Philippine Duchesne has a message for todays world in which the rich seem to be growing richer and the poor to be growing poorer. It is a message of justice and love for all people. It was for this conviction that Philippine a Religious of the Sacred Heart missionary became the fourth United States saint in 1988. This book is a bold historical biography of a remarkable woman who struggled her entire life to enflesh Gods love and care in human situations. It opens with a critical discussion and forthright examination of how class gender and race have been influential factors in the selection of saints and then details Philippines life with its many failures and many achievements. It shows how this wealthy woman who belonged to a politically prominent French family decided to dedicate her life and gifts to the poor. It examines her difficulties as Sacred Hearts first missionary in the new world and it tells how this courageous pioneer woman provided free education for those who had long been denied the privilege--young women the poor and native Americans. This eminently readable biography provides a clear and scholarly assessment of Duchesnes religious and social world that is ideal for students and professors of U.S. church history. It raises important questions about women the poor and marginalized groups in Duchesnes time that are still pertinent to ask today.