Shrine Update
Great News!
Book your school house rental!
Perfect for meetings, parties, showers, family reunions, and more
Event space rentals will begin
on April 1, 2023
Contact us at: info@oldstferdinandshrine.org
Welcome to Old St. Ferdinand Shrine
Established in 1789 in Florissant, MO
Above photo courtesy of The City of Florissant
Hope Floats
In July 2022, record rainfall fell in the STL area and flooded the convent, church, rectory, and school house with almost 3 feet of water. The Old St. Ferdinand Shrine holds over 200 years of history, telling the story of St. Philippine Duchesne, the Jesuits, the pioneer days in the Louisiana Purchase territory, and so much more.
The volunteers and the board members continue to work with the restoration company to get our campus up and running again. We believe this will take months to fully restore the buildings. While this is happening, all events, tours, and rentals have been cancelled until further notice.
Please check back on this website and our Facebook page for updates on our progress.
Thank you for your support in donations, volunteer hours, and prayers.
-The Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine
The Catholic Church recognizes over 10,000 canonized saints.
Eleven of these saints lived in North America.
St. Philippine Duchesne was the fourth saint canonized from the US. and is the patron saint of perseverance amid adversity.
At the age of 49, Duchesne arrived in the US from France with the mission of teaching girls in the American frontier. Facing harsh weather and limited resources, Duchesne and her team worked tirelessly opening 6 schools in 10 years in MO and LA.
Come to Florissant and see where it all began.
Walk in the footsteps of a Saint
Who We Are
Today, The Old St. Ferdinand Shrine is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is managed by the nonprofit, Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine. Through fundraising and donations from the community, we continue to maintain this 200+ year old campus.
Our volunteers work hard providing tours, restoring the campus, and creating event spaces for rent. Our collective mission is continue to keep the Shrine an active part of the community while preserving our heritage and honoring those that walked before us.
We encourage all to visit, reflect, and enjoy.
Pencil sketch of campus prior to Church renovation in 1880
