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Novena to the Sacred Heart

Day Seven: Historical Bay

Use the audio player in the menu below to listen to today's reflection. If you prefer, you can find a text version of the reflection and prayer at this link.
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When you're ready, scroll down or use the down arrow on your keyboard to learn more about today's featured mosaic.

Completed in 1987 and 1988, respectively, the Historical Bay East and West Wall Panels of the Cathedral Basilica highlight the historical legacy of St. Louis.
Move the slider to the right to reveal the east wall; move it all the way to the left to reveal the west wall.

The western wall panel (1988) in the historical bay honors the work of the region’s missionaries. As a gateway to the west, St. Louis was also the gateway to critical mission work. Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ, depicted wearing a buckskin jacket in the native style, stands in the center of the composition, preaching the Good News to the indigenous people he is serving.

To the left, the missionary and explorer Father Jacques Marquette, SJ, is shown navigating the Mississippi—an early example of the mission work that helped to shape the region.

On the right, an unnamed diocesan priest and a religious sister begin mission work in 1950s Bolivia, which celebrates the fact that St. Louis was the very first Archdiocese in the United States to send missionaries to carry the Gospel abroad!

The east wall panel (1987) in the historical bay celebrates recent history. Cardinal Ritter, who served as Archbishop from 1947 until his death in 1967, is shown playing a central role in efforts to combat religious, social, and racial injustice.

On the Cardinal's left, figures of different faiths represent the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration of Religious Liberty. St. Peter's can be seen in the background.

To the right, a nun helps advance Cardinal Ritter’s order to end racial segregation and integrate St. Louis Catholic schools in 1947. The Cathedral Basilica stands in the background.

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Did you know?

Our Lord continues to inspire the men and women of St. Louis to courageous holiness. A very recent example includes Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster, foundress of the Benedictines of Mary in Gower, Missouri. Sr. Wilhelmina was born in St. Louis and attended St. Joseph’s High School, which was started by her parents to serve the African American community of St. Louis before integration. Archbishop Joseph Ritter's order to integrate Catholic schools consolidated St. Joseph's into other schools in 1951. Sr. Wilhelmina died in 2019, and already there is growing popular interest in a cause for canonization. There is even an investigation into whether her body may be incorrupt.

CREDITS.

Today' Guide: Msgr. Michael Witt has been a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 1990. He is a professor of Church History at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, and the host of two programs on Covenant Network that highlight local and Church History.

Photographs of full walls by Serhii Chrucky, used here with permission.
Details of mosaics by Cori Nations Photography.
Photo of Sr. Wilhelmina via the Benedictines of Mary.

All paintings used are in the public domain:
George Catlin (American, 1796 - 1872), "View On The Missouri, Alluvial Banks Falling In, 600 Miles Above St. Louis"
Seth Eastman (American, 1808–1875), "View 100 Miles Above St. Louis"
Bernhard Wiegandt (German, 1851 - 1918), "Tropical rainforest in the Amazon"