MEMORIAL: MARCH 3
St. Katharine Drexel was the second American-born Catholic saint. She was born in Philadelphia in 1858 into a wealthy family. Her home life growing up consisted of a devout family prayer life and care for the poor.
After her father passed away, Katharine and her sisters were left with a lucrative inheritance which they used to assist the poor and needy. Experiencing a special desire to serve the ostracized Native American and African American communities of the late 1800s, Katharine received a special urging from the Pope that she become a missionary for them. Katharine became a religious sister and eventually established a religious congregation called the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Katharine was able to finance Navaho copies of the Catechism for Native American children, and she founded Xavier University in New Orleans which was the first African American University in the USA. She died in 1955 and was canonized a saint in the year 2000.
