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Saint
Katherine Drexel
Feast Day: March 3
Katherine Drexel was born to a well-known
Philadelphia family in 1858. As she grew, so did her love for God and
others. She focused her energy on the material and spiritual well-being
of blacks and Native Americans. She began by donating money, but could
see that more needed to be done. So, Katherine founded the Sisters of
the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. She and the sisters
worked to improve the lives of those they served. From age 33 until her
death in 1955, Katherine dedicated her life and a fortune of 20 million
dollars to this work.
In 1894, Katherine opened the first mission school for Indians in Santa
Fe, New Mexico. Quickly, more schools followed serving both Indians and
blacks. By the time Katherine died, more than 500 sisters were teaching
in 63 schools throughout the country. Katherine was beatified by Pope
John Paul II on November 20, 1988.
Connecting to Faith First® Legacy Edition
Grade 5, chapter 9
