St. Katharine Drexel
Feast Day: March 3
“If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them.” – St. Katharine Drexel
St. Katharine Drexel, foundress, missionary, and educator, is honored for her profound dedication to serving Native Americans and African Americans through education, social justice, and the love of Christ. Her feast day, celebrated on March 3, commemorates her life of generous service and her example of using wealth for the glory of God.
A Heiress with a Mission
Katharine was born in 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, into a wealthy and devout Catholic family. Raised with a strong sense of faith and social responsibility, Katharine learned from her parents’ example of caring for the poor and marginalized.
After the death of her parents, Katharine inherited a vast fortune, making her one of the wealthiest women in America at the time.
A Call to Radical Service
During a visit to Pope Leo XIII in 1887, Katharine asked the pope to send missionaries to serve Native Americans. To her surprise, the pope replied, “Why don’t you become a missionary yourself?” This moment profoundly changed her life.
Discerning God’s call, Katharine chose to give up her wealth, status, and privileged life to become a religious sister fully dedicated to serving marginalized communities.
Foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
In 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious order devoted to the education and spiritual care of Native American and African American communities.
Through her order, Katharine established over 60 schools, including Xavier University of Louisiana, the first historically Black Catholic university in the United States.
A Life of Charity, Humility, and Advocacy
Katharine used her inheritance not for personal luxury but to build schools, missions, and churches, always advocating for justice and dignity for the people she served. She also worked tirelessly against racism and injustice, standing as a beacon of Christian charity in a time of widespread discrimination.
Despite her enormous impact, Katharine remained humble, living a life of prayer centered on the Eucharist, which was the heart of her spirituality.
A Legacy of Holiness and Service
St. Katharine Drexel died in 1955 at the age of 96. She was canonized in 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II, becoming the second American-born saint.
She is the patron saint of racial justice, philanthropists, and educators, and a model of how faith, wealth, and privilege can be used selflessly in service of the Gospel.
A Witness to Christ in the Margins
St. Katharine Drexel’s life reminds the faithful that true riches are found not in material wealth but in service to Christ and others. Her legacy calls all to fight injustice, offer dignity to the marginalized, and live lives of joyful generosity.
St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us!