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Katharine
Drexel
Click on the following to hear Katharine's conversation with Jody.
Prologue: Katharine Drexel
Dialogue: A Conversation between
Katharine Drexel and Jody
Epilogue: Dorothy Day
Prologue (spoken by Jody):
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 26, 1858, Katharine Drexel
grew up the second daughter of a rich banker, Francis Drexel. Shortly
after Katharine's birth, her mother died.
A few years later, Mr. Drexel married Emma Bouvier. Both Francis and Emma
believed that money was to be shared. In 1883, Emma died; Francis died
two years later. He left great wealth to his three daughters. Each inherited
around five million dollars. That was a huge amount of money in 1885!
The three Drexel daughters--Elizabeth, Katharine, and Louise--planned
to help others with their inheritance. Katherine had seen first-hand the
poverty of Native Americans on their reservations.
However, the first thing the sisters did was to tour Europe in 1886-87.
During that time, Katharine got to speak directly with Pope Leo XIII.
What he said changed her life.
She is now sailing home to the United States with her sisters on a luxury
liner. As it crosses the Atlantic Ocean, I meet her on deck. My name is
Jody, and I want to discover how Katharine Drexel will respond to what
the pope said.
Jody: I've walked
all around the ship's deck looking for you, Miss Drexel, My name's Jody,
and I'm wondering if we could talk about your visit with the pope.
Katharine: And how do you know about that? I don't recall you being
with us as we talked!
Jody: You know I wasn't! But I heard your sister Louise telling
someone about what the pope said to you.
Katharine: What a chatterbox that girl is!
Jody: Well, you're laughing, so I guess her talking about it hasn't
upset you too much, Miss Drexel!
Katharine: Oh, call me Katie. Everyone does! What exactly did Louise
say about the pope and me!
Jody: She said that you met with Pope Leo XIII and told him about
how the Native Americas of our country need help. You asked him to send
missionaries to them. And he said . . .
Katharine: And he said to me, "Why don't you go, Miss Drexel, you
have the money and desire to do God's good work. You go!"
Jody: And what did you say?
Katharine: Nothing! I was at a loss for words!
Jody: Yeah, I've had that happen to me when my folks say things.
They . . . Hey look! Look at that porpoise jumping out of the ocean! He
doesn't seem worried about what the pope said!
Katharine: Oh, Jody! He doesn't have a muddled mess of a mind either!
Jody: You do?
Katharine: I definitely do. But I think God's watching over me
because I met you today. You seem like a good listener. Let's sit in these
deck chairs while I talk through all the jumbled thoughts in my mind.
Maybe that will show me what I need to do.
Jody: Is it the money that's stopping you from taking the pope's
advice?
Katharine: No. My father and stepmother--oh, she was such a wonderful
woman--taught my sisters and me to help the needy. She was very generous.
Jody: What did she give? Money?
Katharine: She gave clothing, food, shoes--whatever people needed.
Why, Jody, after my stepmother died, we found out that she paid the rent
for 150 needy families in Philadelphia! Everyone called her Mrs. Generous!
Jody: Did she teach you to do the same?
Katharine: She did. And now that both my parents are dead, my
sisters and I plan on continuing their good work. Elizabeth is building
St. Francis Industrial School in Philadelphia.
Jody: Named after your father?
Katharine: Yes. It's a school for boys from orphanages. St. Francis
will train them for jobs.
Jody: When about Louise?
Katharine: She's going to use her money to educate African Americans.
They're free now, but they have few schools. They live in horrible poverty.
Jody: And what about you Katie?
Katharine: I really do want to help Native Americans and African
Americans! I want to bring God's good news to them! I want to help them
move out of poverty! I want to educate them and help them become leaders!
Jody: Then do it! What's holding you back? Surely not the money!
You have plenty to help others, just as your sisters are doing.
Katharine: What's holding me back is that I was going to give the
money to my sisters and enter a contemplative convent.
Jody: Contemplative?
Katharine: A convent where I would pray all day for Native and
African Americans.
Jody: Maybe the pope is saying that you can pray and act both.
Katharine: Yes, that is what the pope is saying! You've got to
the heart of the matter. Pray and work.
Jody: How will you manage that?
Katharine: I'll take my vows as a nun. Then I'll start my own group
of nuns. We'll work with and for Native and African Americans!
Jody: And you can use your money to help them!
Katharine: Yes! I'll build schools. Maybe I'll even start a college
for black students so that they can become teachers. Then they can teach
their people all they need to know to get ahead in this world.
Jody: That sounds wonderful!
Katharine: You know, Jody, I've always had a special devotion to
the Blessed Sacrament. I've believed that we should get up after receiving
Holy Communion and go find Christ Jesus by serving others.
Jody: Maybe that should be the name of your new group of nuns?
Katharine: Just what I was thinking, Jody, the Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament.
Epilogue
Katharine Drexel took Pope Leo XIII's suggestion. In 1891, she founded
the order of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Their mission was to
bring God's good news to Native and African Americans. She opened her
first school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1894.
In 1955, at the age of 96, Katharine died in Pennsylvania. During her
long life, she founded close to 60 schools for Native and African Americans.
Her most famous school is Xavier University in New Orleans. It was the
first Catholic university that accepted black students.
Despite all her wealth, she lived a life of poverty and gave away more
than $20 million to her schools and to the children who came to them.
She did what Jesus asked. On October 1 of this year, the Church canonized
Katharine Drexel a saint.
