by Kathryn White
Special to The Leaven
CENTERVILLE — Film director Sebastian Cassen has a passion for making documentaries.
A French national, Cassen has traveled the world to learn about and capture the stories of religious Sisters, his favorite cinematic topic.
A recent stop: Kansas.
That’s where French missionary St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, RSCJ, served as a missionary, educating and caring for Potawatomi survivors of the United States Indian removal programs.
She is the only saint to date who has lived in Kansas.
“In France, when someone leaves the country, we don’t learn much more about them,” said Cassen.
But in this case, he felt he needed to.
“There is a trans-Atlantic link between France and America,” he said. “That link is really important to tell the human story.”
‘Keeping the history alive’
While in Kansas, Cassen and his crew visited St. Rose’s shrine at Sacred Heart Church in Mound City and the memorial park and met with the district representative of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation who represents 3,100 enrolled members in the state of Kansas.
In his preparatory research, Cassen uncovered artifacts like letters St. Rose wrote to religious, family members and friends in France, dated from 1818 to 1852.
In her letters, St. Rose described the trials of growing her mission across the United States.
“It was a hard time when she came here to America,” said Cassen. “There was slavery. The Trail of Death.
“We learned her personality through the letters. It is interesting and important to talk about and learn from their example.”
“Archives are the guardians of history,” said Xiaohan Lin, Cassen’s assistant. “What we are doing is like a rebirth of history, giving it a second life to let the [viewers of the documentary] know something which is important and to not forget.
“We are keeping the history alive.”
To learn how to make a pilgrimage to St. Rose’s mission, email Father Barry Clayton, pastor of Sacred Heart, at: bclayton@archkck.org. To learn more about the documentary, visit: sebcassen.com.
