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Facts About Saint Katharine Drexel:

1. Saint Katharine Drexel was born Catherine Mary Drexel on November 26th, 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA to a banker and philanthropist father.

2. She was an American Catholic heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, and educator.

3. She donated all of her money, became a nun, and joined The Sisters Of Mercy.

4. Saint Katharine took a strong interest in the well-beings and livelihoods of Black and Native Americans.

5. In 1851, she founded The Sisters Of The Blessed Sacrament, a religious order that served Black and Native Americans.

6. She dedicated her life and fortune of $20mn to help serve marginalized communities.

7. She was a distant cousin of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on her father's side.

8. In 1886, during an audience with Pope Leo XIII, Saint Katharine Drexel was urged to become a missionary and realized her desire to assist the Indian and African American population in The USA.

9. Saint Katharine Drexel was awakened to the plight of indigenous American people during a family trip to the Western United States and was inspired.

10. She opened the first mission school for Natives and many other schools for Blacks in The American South.

11. Saint Katharine Drexel felt a strong call to enter religious life, but because of her prominent social status, she was advised by others, including a close friend, Father James O'Connor, who later became Bishop Of Omaha, that Fod was not calling her to the religious life.

12. In spite of Father James O'Connor's remarks, Saint Katharine Drexel's wishes to become a nun persisted. She knew deep down that God was calling her to enter religious life and that He was asking her to take special care of American Native and Black populations.

13. The exchange of letters between Father James O'Connor and Saint Katharine Drexel indicate that the two of them argued about hernot entering religious life for six years.

14. Bishop O'Connor thought that Saint Katharine Drexel was scrupulous and distracted from what she should be doing.

15. Pope Leo XIII encouraged Saint Katharine Drexel to be a missionary. This inspired her to become a nun.

16. After becoming a nun, Saint Katharine Drexel experienced a lot of opposition and persecution for her ministry to the Black communities she served.

17. Racial relations were in turmoil at the time and there was a lot of adversity that Saint Katharine Drexel had to overcome.

18. In Beaumont, Texas a hate group threatened to blow up her convent. After this happened, a severe rainstorm with thunder and lightning spawned a tornado that picked up and destroyed two buildings that were known to be the hate group's headquarters. The hate group never bothered Saint Katharine Drexel again after that night.

19. Saint Katharine Drexel founded 62 schools, had a network of 501 Sisters, 49 elementary schools, 12 High Schools, 1 University (Xavier University, New Orleans), 3 houses of social service, 1 study house, and 37 missions in 21 States.

20. On the morning of March 3rd, 1955 Saint Katherine Drexel peacefully and calmly gave her soul to God. She was a fighter who always kept her faith in The Lord. Saint Katharine Drexel is the only canonized Saint to come from one of America's most prominent families.

🙏 🕊 A Prayer For Saint Katharine Drexel 🙏 🕊:

🙏 🕊 Compassionate God, who in your Son Jesus Christ healed the sick, touched the hearts of the troubled and sent disciples to announce good news to the poor, we offer this novena for peace and for the intentions of all those who are praying with us.

Ever Loving God, You called St. Katharine Drexel to teach the message of the Gospel and to bring the life of the Eucharist to Black and Native American peoples. By her prayers and example, enable us to work for justice among the poor and oppressed. Draw us all into the Eucharistic community of your Church that we may be one in you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. Amen. 🙏 🕊

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