American Saint of Racial Justice
Feast: March 3rd
This author enjoys reading about those certain Saints who come from a background of wealth and privilege, yet gave it all up to serve Jesus and the cause of furthering the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Their sacrifices witness to the tremendous love they have for God and their fellow man, which never fails to inspire. The most well-known of them usually come from Europe where they were members of royal or noble houses (e.g. St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Catherine of Bologna, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, etc.) or prominent business families (e.g. St. Angela of Foligno, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, etc.). Not as celebrated as some of the listed names, in the USA we have a similar Saint - a wealthy heiress named Katherine Drexel.
Katherine, was born on November 26, 1858 to Francis Anthony Drexel, a wealthy Philadelphia banker, and his first wife, Hanna. Sadly, unable to fully recover from the birth, Hanna died five weeks later. A little over a year after, Francis marries Emma Bouvier, a woman of solid Catholic Faith and, together, the new couple set about being worthy examples to both Katherine, her older sister, and a third sister born of their union. In addition to providing their children with the best education their wealth afforded, the Drexels made it a point to come together every evening in family prayer. Furthermore, Emma often took her daughters with her when she exercised works of charity to instill in them the urgent need to assist those less fortunate than themselves.
In 1979, Emma was diagnosed with cancer and it was Katherine who primarily nursed her. As she was during her healthy years, Emma was a model of faith in her affliction, deeply impressing her girls up until her holy death in January 1883. Katherine was so deeply effected by her step-mother's conduct, she developed a growing desire to dedicate herself to the service of God.
A youthful and lovely Katherine
After Francis passed in 1885, Katherine and her two siblings each inherited significant amounts of money from their father. Katherine, who was particularly concerned over the biased treatment of the Native Americans and African Americans, started using her influence and wealth towards charitable causes on their behalf. Things escalated after she met Pope Leo XIII in 1887 during an audience in Rome. She boldly entreated the pontiff to send more missionaries to Wyoming where a prelate-friend of hers - Bishop James O'Connor - was in need of help in his ministry. Pope Leo reportedly replied with his own question: "Why don't you become a missionary?"
Initially surprised by the Pope's reply, Katherine prayed and reflected for a period of time, while also seeking guidance from Bishop O'Connor; he encouraged and supported her budding vocation. In the end, despite her privileged status in society and proposals for marriage, Katherine decides to give herself completely to the service of the Native Americans and freed slaves through the founding of a new religious congregation called the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The year was 1891... and when the news broke, one newspaper headline sensationally read: "Gives Up Seven Million!"
Thirteen women followed Katherine to Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania, where the new foundress turned the Drexel summer residence into the first motherhouse of her congregation. Moving forward, Mother Katherine was tireless in systematically establishing charitable missions and rural/boarding schools, using her near-celebrity status and savvy people/negotiation skills to meet and gain approval from local Indian/Civic leaders; funding her various endeavors with her own inheritance. By the time of her death, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament had grown in membership, and had over 100 mission centers and schools for Indians and African Americans across 16 states.
St. Katherine dedicated her life to educating and serving the needs of
Indians and African Americans.
Despite her success, Mother Drexel's life was not without trials, she and her nuns endured intense opposition from Segregationist groups (one of her schools in Pennsylvania was burned to the ground)... and she was disabled for 19 years by a heart attack she suffered at age 77. In this period of extended downtime, the foundress guided and prayed diligently for her community from a room that overlooked the Sanctuary of her convent chapel. Like her step-mother, Emma, she was a model of profound faith and resignation to the Will of God during her long illness.
Katherine Drexel went to her eternal reward on March 3, 1955, at age 96. Her legacy of self-sacrifice, charitable service, and faith was not forgotten by the communities she ministered and she was considered a Saint by many, even during her lifetime. The Church Canonized her in October 2000.
St. Katherine Drexel,
pray for our personal needs and
for the needs of the universal
Catholic Church!
