St. Katharine Drexel, born in 1858 to a wealthy family in Philadelphia, is remembered for her radical choice to dedicate her life to serving the poor and marginalized. As the daughter of Frank Drexel, an international banker, and his devout wife Emma, Katharine was reared in a loving, Catholic environment. Her parents’ generosity toward the poor profoundly shaped her life. According to the source, “three times a week they opened their lavish home to the needy, offering them food, clothing, medicine, and other necessities.”
Despite her wealth and comfort, Katharine was raised to pursue personal holiness. Her childhood was marked by daily Mass, meditation, the rosary, and acts of penance. In 1878, at the age of 20, Katharine reflected on her spiritual resolutions, writing: “I am resolved during this year to try to overcome impatience and give attention to lessons. I, Katie, put these resolutions at the feet of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph hoping that they will find acceptance there.”
The death of both her parents in her 20s brought Katharine a substantial inheritance, but it also sparked a transformation in her life. She became deeply aware of the suffering of Native Americans, many of whom were struggling with poverty and a lack of education. This awareness led Katharine to a mission that would define her life — to assist Native Americans and African Americans. According to the article, she pleaded with Pope Leo XIII during two private audiences to send more missionaries to these groups. During one meeting, the pope, astonished Katharine, suggesting that she herself become one of these missionaries.
Although Katharine enjoyed an opulent lifestyle, she began to feel disillusioned with worldly pleasures. Writing to her friend, Bishop James O’Connor, Katharine revealed her disillusionment, saying, “Like the little girl who wept when she found that her doll was stuffed with sawdust and her drum was hollow, I, too, have made a horrifying discovery… All, all, all (there is no exception) is passing away and will pass away.” Katharine’s response to this realization was radical and profound. She noted, “The question alone important, the solution of which depends upon how I have spent my life, is the state of my soul at the moment of death. Infinite misery or infinite happiness! There is no half and half, either one or the other.”
Her bishop eventually agreed with her decision, advising her to found a religious community to serve Native Americans and African Americans. In 1891, Katharine established the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, which grew to include 13 other women. They went on to open mission churches and boarding schools across the United States. The article notes that despite facing prejudice and racism, Katharine’s resolve never wavered. At one point, when members of the Nashville, Tennessee, city council questioned the capability of Black people to receive higher education, Katharine responded with courage, saying, “I cannot share these views with regard to the education of the race. I feel that if among our colored people we find individuals gifted with capabilities, with those sterling qualities which constitute character, our holy mother the Church who fosters and develops the intellect only that it may give God more glory and be of benefit to others, should also concede to the Negro the privilege of higher education.”
Katharine’s efforts led to the founding of a teachers’ college in Louisiana in 1915, which would eventually become Xavier University of New Orleans — one of the first universities in the United States to admit Black students.
Throughout her life, Mother Katharine’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament was central to her missionary work. She believed that devotion to the Eucharist was vital to the success of her community’s mission. According to the source, “her chief motivation…was to help more souls know and love Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”
Katharine Drexel passed away in 1955 at the age of 96 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000. Her legacy lives on, particularly in the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, a place of reflection on her extraordinary life of faith, service, and radical love for others.
St. Katharine Drexel is honored by the Church on March 3, the feast day of this inspiring woman who devoted her wealth, her life, and her heart to the service of the poorest of the poor.
