St. Philippine Duchesne Memorial Park & Shrine, Centerville, Kansas

The St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Park memorializes the lives and the work of early Kansas settlers and is the original site of the Potawatomi Indians and Missionary community at Sugar Creek Mission. This park has been well preserved, and serves as a spiritual, educational, and recreational opportunity for Catholics, and for those who will appreciate this rich piece of Kansas history. The correct address for the park is 8499 W 1525th Road, Centerville, KS 66014. 

The entrance to the park has been enhanced by a fort-style gate to visualize the frontier days of the mid 1800’s. 

At the site of the original church, a large altar and cross have been erected. Next to the altar and crosses, are the foundation remnants of the original buildings, which housed the priests and nuns. With each remnant, there is a detailed historical marker. The church was dedicated on Christmas Day, 1839 by Fr. Christian Hoecken. At one time 1300 Potawatomi Indians worshipped in the church. The church was burned in 1848 when the U.S. government moved the Indians to St. Mary's, Kansas.

This granite depiction of St. Philippine and two American Indians was done by an unknown nun of St. Charles, Missouri. Bruce Marble in Ft. Scott, Kansas copied and enlarged the design using a sandblast technique on granite. The coloring used has a life expectancy of 40 years outdoors. The Stations of the Cross were also done using the same technique.

In St. Philippine's biography, it is stated that she frequently sat on a rock near her cabin where she would say her rosary. Part of a rosary was unearthed at the base of the rock where this sign is placed, thereby giving credence that this might have been the site mentioned.

"Quah-Kah-Ka-Num-Ad" is Potawatomi for "Woman Who Prays Always." St. Philippine was a nun of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Teaching Order. She taught Indian children here in 1841. She was canonized as a Saint on July 3, 1988.

Not far from the altar and crosses, is the beginning of several nature trails. Throughout the park, rock monuments tell the story of how the Indians and the clergy ministered to each others needs.  We did not take any of these hikes as I did not wear the proper footwear (sandals instead of tennis shoes) and I did not have my walking stick either. I would have enjoyed taking the hikes, so my recommendation if you want to take the hikes would be to wear good walking shoes. There is a sign that says the hikes can be rough. There are also tables if you want tp to bring lunch, and be sure to bring lots of water. They do have an outhouse as well.

The park also has the 14 stations of the cross set along a beautiful nature trail.

The crosses were placed in memory of more than 600 Catholic Potawatomi Indians that are buried in this field as well as down by the river, far from their ancestral home of the Great Lakes area. Their names are inscribed on the crosses. May they rest in peace.

This memorial honors Father Benjamin Petit, a young French priest who ministered to the Potawatomi tribe, both spiritually and physically on their “Trail of Death” from northern Indiana to St. Mary’s Mission in Kansas.

Father Benjamin Petit Memorial

Reverend Benjamin Marie is from the City of Rennes, France and arrived as the Catholic missionary to the Potawatomi Indians in November 1837. By June 1838, he had learned much of their difficult language and their culture, and had instructed and baptized many. "We were orphans," they said to me, "and as if in darkness, but you appeared among us like a great light, and we live." The Indians begged their "Father Black Robe" to accompany them on their forced removal from Indiana to Kansas. The Potawatomi "Trail of Death" started at Menominee's village south of Plymouth. He baptized the dying children, among them newly born "who with their first step passed from earthly exile to the heavenly sojourn," according to one of his letters. In his letters he described the hardships and the anguish of the Indians and the heartbreak of the Indians as they buried their loved ones and marched on. About 40 Indians died on the march, mostly children. Father Petit blessed each grave. 

After placing the Potawatomi in the spiritual hands of Jesuit Father Christian Hoecken at the Sugar Creek Mission in Kansas on November 4, 1838, Father Petit fell sick with fever and painful open sores. On January 2 he started by horseback to Indiana, accompanied by a friend, but again was taken ill. With three open sores draining his strength, he continued his journey. He reached the Jesuit seminary in St. Louis on January 15. He received medical attention but grew weaker and weaker. He passed away just before midnight February 10, 1839, a martyr to his duty and extraordinary devotion and love for his Potawatomi family. He was just 27 years 10 months old when he passed away. He is buried in the old cemetery at 7th Street and St. Charles Avenue. In 1856 the cemetery was moved to make way for downtown St. Louis. At that time Father Edward Sorin, founder of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, came and took Father Petit's body back to Indiana. Father Petit's remains rest under the Log Chapel at the University.

That name is quite a mouthful, but it means "The Fairest Flower that Ever Bloomed Among the Red Men." Kateri lived from 1656 to 1680. She was an Indian Princess. Her father Kenneronkwa was a Chief of the Mohawk-Iroquois (Turtle Clan), and her mother was Kahenta of the Algonquin Tribe. Kateri is honored on July 14 as the first North American Indian proposed for canonization in the Roman Catholic Church. She was canonized on October 2, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI. She dedicated her life to prayer, penance, chastity, caring for the ill, and other acts of charity. Immediately before her death, her smallpox scars totally vanished. A cross in her memory stands in Auriesville, NY near the site of the village where she lived.

There is nearly twenty combined acres of grasslands and woodlands, with plenty of space for camping, picnics and recreational outings. Most of the land has not been mowed, but it is pretty large.

There is a shelter house that is available for public use, but please keep in mind that the park doesn’t have electricity or running water. It does have what we like to call a “modern outhouse.”

Right after you drive into the park, there is a detailed memorial that records the “Trail of Death,” describing the many weeks of misery and death which brought the Indians to Kansas. 

Trail of Death, Indiana to Kansas, Sept. 4 - Nov. 4, 1838

Trail of Death Diary Wall

There are rock lined pits in this area which pre-date the arrival of the Potawatomi Indians. Theories are that they may have been used for seed or food storage. The rocks here are shaped differently than any other in the area and their origin is uncertain. It is not clear if the Potawatomi used the pits but they did build on the site. Located in this area were rosary beads, an 1810 American coin, religious medals dated 1830 with French and Latin inscriptions, glazed European pottery with Roman and Grecian themes, children's school slates and writing tools, clay and stone marbles, a pewter spoon, Indian beads made of turkey quills and bone, a thimble and straight pins, a stylus for writing, surgical scissors, square nails, locks, lead rifle balls, animal bones with charcoal, and numerous other items. A fire place foundation indicates that there was a building here.