What dream do you have for your life?

Many of us start out with big hopes, but we eventually leave them behind because we feel like they’ll never happen. We tell ourselves things like: I tried once and it didn’t work out. I can’t afford to go back to school. I’m too old to try that now. 

Saint Rose-Philippine Duchesne had a dream and it was pretty clear that it was never going to happen. She grew up in France and lived as a sister of the Society of the Sacred Heart. But what she really wanted to do was to be a missionary and care for native Americans. 

Rose-Philippine did everything she could to make her dream a reality. She even wrote a letter to her superior, letting her know that she was ready to become a missionary as soon as possible. She wrote: “When you say to me 'now I send you', I will respond quickly 'I go.” But 12 years passed and she was still in France. 

Finally Rose-Philippine was selected for a mission in Louisiana, but when she arrived, it wasn’t exactly what she was hoping for—her role was to build up schools for girls, which she did with great dedication.

It wasn’t until she was 72 years old that Rose-Philippine was given an opportunity to serve and educate Native American children in Kansas. Many people thought she was too sick and rundown to go, but her superiors allowed her to, knowing it was her lifelong dream. 

The children and people fell in love with her, giving her the nickname Quah-kah-ka-num-ad, which means: Woman who always prays. Rose-Philippine’s health didn’t allow her to stay for long, but she always kept her dream alive in her heart. 

There’s power in keeping your dreams alive. Maybe you’ve been waiting a long time for your dream, maybe you have given up on your dream, or maybe you’ve forgotten that you had any dream at all. 

Today is the perfect time to start dreaming again. Ponder these questions and take a few moments to dream together with God:

1. What’s something you did as a child that you’d love to do again?
2. What spiritual habit would you like to develop?
3. What hobby have you always wanted to explore, and is now the time to explore it? 
4. Which relationship would you most like to improve? 
5. What virtue do you want to exemplify your life?

Are you open to amazing possibilities? Keep your dreams close to your heart and you’ll be amazed how God works.



Feast Day: November 18 (Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul)

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Roman of Antioch and Saint Odo

Patron Saint of: Perseverance Amid Adversity

Canonized: July 3, 1988

Canonized By: Pope John Paul II