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Novena to the Sacred Heart

Day Six: Pendentives of Saints

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.

The four pendentives below the Dome of Local History feature saints who spread the Gospel in America.

The northeast pendentive shows Saint Isaac Jogues, Saint René Goupil, and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, each responsible for bearing Christ to the indigenous peoples.

To the northwest is Saint Frances Cabrini, the first (naturalized) United States citizen to be canonized.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first saint born in the United States, is on the southwest pendentive.

Finally, on the southeast pendentive stands Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, the patroness of St. Louis.

These mosaics were Hildreth Meiere’s final commissions for the Cathedral Basilica. The glass mosaic tesserae were fabricated in Berlin and installed in St. Louis by local artists.

Did you Know? Mother Rose Philippine Duchesne answered Bishop Louis DuBourg’s call to missionary work in the New World. As a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, she had particular interest in caring for the poor. She opened the first tuition-free school West of the Mississippi. Outside the classroom, she was instrumental in organizing missionary work with Native Americans, among whom she was known as “Woman Who Is Always Praying.”

Her total selflessness and love for her fellow man remains an inspiration for St. Louisans, and an example of evangelization. She was canonized in 1988 by John Paul II.

‍St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, pray for us!

CREDITS
Today's guide: Sister Susan Marie Krupp is a member of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an international religious community of sisters dedicated to the Sacred Heart. She has served as an educator, vocation director, and formation director, and she currently serves as President of Cor Jesu Academy.
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Photographs of the full pendatives (slides 3-6) courtesy of The International Hildreth Meière Association.

Photos of mosaic details by Cori Nations Photography.
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Historical photo of the mosaic installation via the Archdiocesan archives.
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Painting of St. Louis river bluffs:
George Catlin, River Bluffs, 1320 Miles above St. Louis, 1832, oil on canvas, 11 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. (28.5 x 36.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.399