On March 3, the universal Church celebrates the feast of St.
Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who abandoned her family’s
fortune to found an order of sisters dedicated to serving the
impoverished African-American and American Indian populations of the
United States.
Katharine was born November 26, 1858, into a
wealthy and well-connected banking family.
The family's wealth, however,
did not prevent them from living out a serious commitment to their
faith.
Her mother opened up the family house three times a week
to feed and care for the poor, and her father had a deep personal prayer
life.
Both parents encouraged their daughters to think of the family's
wealth not as their own, but as a gift from God which was to be used to
help others.
During the summer months, Katharine and her sisters
would teach catechism classes to the children of the workers on her
family’s summer estate.
The practice would prepare her for a life of
service, with a strong focus on education and attention to the poor and
vulnerable.
While traveling with her family through the Western
U.S., Katharine witnessed the poor living conditions of the Native
Americans.
Eventually, while still a laywoman, she would give much of
her own money to fund the missions and schools in these seriously
deprived areas.
Eventually, however, the young heiress would give
more than just funding to these much-needed missions and schools. She
would decide to devote her whole life to the social and spiritual
development of black and American Indian communities.
The
inspiration for this work came to her during a visit to Rome, where she
was granted an audience with Pope Leo XIII.
During that time, Katharine
had been considering a vocation to cloistered contemplative life as a
nun.
But when she asked Pope Leo XIII to send missionaries to Wyoming,
he told Katharine she should undertake the work herself.
In
February of 1891, she made her first vows in religious life – formally
renouncing her fortune and her personal freedom, for the sake of growing
closer to God in solidarity with the victims of injustice.
Although
African-Americans had been freed from slavery, they continued to suffer
serious abuse, and were often prevented from obtaining even a basic
education.
Much the same situation held in the case of the native
American Indians, who had been forcibly moved into reservations over the
course of the 19th century.
Katharine founded the Sisters of the
Blessed Sacrament, for the purpose of living with these communities
while helping them acquire education and grow in faith.
Between
1891 and 1935 she led her order in the founding and maintenance of
almost 60 schools and missions, located primarily in the American West
and Southwest.
Among the prominent achievements of Drexel and her order
is New Orleans' Xavier University, the only historically black Catholic
college in the U.S.
Katharine was forced into retirement for the
last 20 years of her life after she suffered a severe heart attack.
Although she was no longer able to lead her order, she left the sisters
with her charism of love and concern for the missions.
She died on March 3, 1955 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000.