Le Petit Musée and the Shrine of Saint John Berchmans Brochure

Le Petit Musée and the Shrine of Saint John Berchmans

On display at Le Petit Musée are souvenirs of student life at the Academy such as schoolbooks, prayer books, prize medals and ribbons.

Prizes were awarded for outstanding achievement and effort in academic subjects as well as in courtesy and neatness.

Le Petit Musée and the Shrine of Saint John Berchmans 1821 Academy Road Grand Coteau, Louisiana 70541 337-662-5275 crichard@rscj.org rscj.org • rscjinternational.org https://www.facebook.com/sjbshrine

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The museum and shrine are located inside the Academy of the Sacred Heart (left). The quarters of the enslaved people (right) are located behind the main building. A plaque with the known names of people enslaved by the Society was mounted on the front of the building in 2018.

Foundations of Le Petit Musée Le Petit Musée is a museum dedicated to the history of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. The Catholic school for girls was founded, in 1821, by the Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) under the direction of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne and has been in continuous operation since. It is the second oldest continuously-operating school in the United States west of the Mississippi River. In 2006, a boys’ school, Berchmans Academy, was established and together, the two comprise the Schools of the Sacred Heart.

On the cover: Portrait of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart, overlooks the study hall where boarders completed homework.

In 1821, Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne sent Mother Eugénie Audé and Sister Mary Layton, both RSCJ, to Grand Coteau to establish an academy for young girls. Beginning in an unfurnished house on land donated to the religious order, the school opened in October 1821 with eight girls. Through hardships, natural disasters, disease and civil war, the school has persevered, grown and flourished. The museum tells the story of the pioneering spirit of the founders and explores the early life at the Academy for the students and the religious as well as the enslaved people who played a vital role in the school’s existence.

Construction of the main building began in 1830 using Louisiana cypress and bricks formed from clay found on the Academy’s grounds. The windows were made of hand-

blown glass sent from France. The convent housed a religious community, operated a boarding school for girls and, at various times, was the novitiate for the training of young women entering the Society of the Sacred Heart.

History with enslavement The history of the Society’s foundation in Grand Coteau is complex, one of perceived richness for white religious and students, and in the same breath, one of horror, as the institution’s survival and growth would not have been possible without the contributions and forced labor of enslaved people.

While the first enslaved people on the grounds may have been loaned to the founders by nearby families who had daughters at the school, the first recorded purchase of an enslaved person by RSCJ occurred in 1823. His name was Frank Hawkins. Enslaved people at the convent were responsible for day-to-day activities such as laundry, cooking, cleaning and caring for the farm and livestock. Some of the enslaved people possessed skills such as carpentry and masonry. The handmade bricks they produced were used for outbuildings and additions on the school property.

In the fall of 2016, the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States – Canada Province, delved more deeply into its history with enslavement and conducted genealogical research to identify descendants of the enslaved people. The Society continues to

Chapel in honor of Saint John Berchmans commemorating the miraculous cure of Mary Wilson. work to acknowledge this history of enslavement and to foster reconciliation with the descendants of the enslaved people.

Historical connections During the Civil War, General Nathaniel Banks led Union forces across Louisiana, engaging in battles in and around Grand Coteau. The General, whose daughter was a student at the Sacred Heart school in New York, New York, was contacted by Mother Aloysia Hardey, RSCJ, who was an alumna of the Academy in Grand Coteau and living in New York at the time.

At Mother Hardey’s request, General Banks delivered news and supplies to the convent in Grand Coteau and posted a guard to protect the sisters and their students throughout the campaign.

Shrine of Saint John Berchmans The Shrine of Saint John Berchmans sits on the site of the 1866 miraculous cure of a Religious of the Sacred Heart. As a novice, Mary Wilson was sent to Grand Coteau in the hope that a milder climate would improve her poor health.

However, her health continued to deteriorate, and she was confined to the infirmary the month after her arrival.

Hopeful, yet anticipating Mary’s death any day, the religious offered a novena to Blessed John

General Banks’ signed note to the superior.

The museum provides a small glimpse into the lives and contributions of the enslaved people in Grand Coteau.

Berchmans, a Belgian Jesuit who had died at an early age. Mary’s testimony describes an apparition of John Berchmans followed by immediate relief from her pain and her subsequent recovery. Her testimony as well as those of her doctors and fellow religious were used in the canonization process of Saint John Berchmans in 1888. The infirmary where this miracle occurred is now the Shrine of Saint John Berchmans, a peaceful place of devotion and pilgrimage.

Le Petit Musée and the Shrine of Saint John Berchmans are located within Schools of the Sacred Heart.

Tours are available by appointment.