On October 10, 1817, news of the RSCJ’s proposed journey to America reached Sacred Heart convents throughout France. On October 10, 2017, Dr. Susan Dempf, Head of School at the Academy, and Mr. Fritz Long, Principal of Duchesne High School, shared with area educators the first of seven lesson plans about St. Philippine Duchesne that are being created for this bicentennial year. They wrote:
“Take a journey with us as we retrace Philippine Duchesne’s voyage from France to the New World to found the first free school west of the Mississippi River, the Academy of the Sacred Heart. We are celebrating the bicentennial of Sacred Heart education in North America, the bicentennial of Catholic education in the St. Louis Archdiocese, and the bicentennial of education in the City of St. Charles and the State of Missouri.
To help students better understand these momentous occasions, the Academy of the Sacred Heart and Duchesne High School will be releasing lesson plans and curricular materials for Kindergarten through 12th grade. The lesson plans will be released on the 10th of each month, as follows. [To access a lesson plan, click on its name.]
| View Lesson Plan home page, video | |
| October 2017 | Lesson 1 – Every Journey is Born from a Dream (January 14 to May 16, 1817) |
| November 2017 | Lesson 2 – Prepping, Packing, Panhandling (July 15, 1817 to February 8, 1818) |
| January 2018 | Lesson 3 – Ocean Travel to the New World (February 15 to May 16, 1818) |
| February 2018 | Lesson 4 – New Orleans Hospitality (May 25 to June 26, 1818) |
| March 2018 | Lesson 5 – Traveling the Mississippi River (July 12 to August 21, 1818) |
| April 2018 | Lesson 6 – Pioneer Philippine Lands in St. Louis (August 22 to September 1, 1818) |
| May 2018 | Lesson 7 – Arrival in Frontier Town, St. Charles (September 7 to September 20,1818) |
| September 7, 2018 | Reenactment of Philippine Duchesne’s Arrival on the St. Charles Riverfront |
We hope you will join us in retracing the journey of our pioneer saint and witnessing the audacity of a 48-year-old woman who left all she knew to bring the Heart of Jesus to the New World without fear or language but with an open heart. We look forward to learning more about Philippine Duchesne with you and discovering the lessons she can teach us even today.”
To learn more about our plans to celebrate the bicentennial, go to ash1818.org/bicentennial.
