Creve Coeur in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Tender Courage

By Jane DeDecker

— 2014 —

Tender Courage Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Thomas Smith, January 21, 2024

1. Tender Courage Marker

Inscription. Mercy's founder, Catherine McAuley is shown gently shepherding a group of children. She tends their needs while overseeing the mission she began in Dublin, Ireland, in 1827. Together, the four figures form a symbolic circle representing Catherine's unbroken legacy as generations pass on the beliefs and traditions of the Sisters of Mercy.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Religion & Religious Structures • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is November 11, 1841.

Location. 38° 38.734′ N, 90° 26.8′ W. Marker is in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is on 615 S. New Ballas Road near Cardinal Ritter Road, on the left when traveling north. The sculpture is on the grounds of Mercy Hospital. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 615 S New Ballas Road, Saint Louis MO 63141, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally,

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it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hackmann Cabin (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Log Cabin (approx. 0.2 miles away); Estill Log Cabin (approx. 1.4 miles away); Kropp Log Cabin (approx. 1.4 miles away); Oge Log Cabin (approx. 1.4 miles away); Stan Musial (approx. 1.8 miles away); Tappmeyer Homestead (approx. 2.1 miles away); Des Peres Presbyterian Church (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Creve Coeur.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Lake School (was approx. 1½ miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Catherine McAuley (Wikipedia).

Overview: Catherine McAuley, RSM (29 September 1778 – 11 November 1841) was an Irish Catholic religious sister who founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831. The women's congregation has always been
Photographed by Thomas Smith, January 21, 2024

2. Tender Courage Sculpture
2014 bronze by Jane DeDecker. The marker is on a stake on the right.
associated with teaching, especially in Ireland, where the sisters taught Catholics (and at times Protestants) at a time when education was mainly reserved for members of the established Church of Ireland.

(Submitted on January 25, 2024.)

Additional commentary.
1.
It should be noted that this marker is a small plaque near the sculpture in a courtyard inside the Mercy Hospital complex. It is very difficult to find!

— Submitted March 10, 2025, by Garrett Koch of Saint Louis, Missouri.

Mother Catherine McAuley, Founder of the Sisters of Mercy image. Click for full size.

courtesy of Saint Xavier University, 1831

3. Mother Catherine McAuley, Founder of the Sisters of Mercy

Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 21, 2024, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 266 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 21, 2024, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. 3. submitted on January 25, 2024. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.