Rooted in Sacred Heart values, Duchesne Academy educates young women to be active participants in their own development.

St. Rose Philippine came to the United States from France in the early 19th century and established the first Sacred Heart school in St. Charles, Missouri.

Duchesne offers a unique education focusing on commitment to: faith in God, academic excellence, development of social responsibility, formation of an inclusive community and personal dignity.

This education reflects the values given priority by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

Following the announcement of Congé classes are cancelled and the students focus on building community through fun activities and games.

Each girl and her mentor are called by name to the front of the chapel where the sophomore receives her Mater medal from her chosen “Mary” figure.

This is symbolic of their imminent departure from Duchesne, and their responsibility to spread the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the world outside of school.

[2] The school’s sustainability efforts took root in the 2016-2017 academic year following the May 2015 release of “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment and human ecology.

At Duchesne, sustainability is not just an academic concept, but rather a community-wide commitment to improving the school and the broader world in which we live.

As a Sacred Heart school guided by the “Goals and Criteria” of Sacred Heart Education, our charism calls “all members of the school community [to] accept accountability for the care of God’s creation, practice effective stewardship of the earth’s resources and work to alleviate the climate crisis” (Goal III, Criterion 4).