St. Katharine Drexel
Katharine Drexel turned family wealth into a religious vocation and sustained schools for Black and Native American communities.
The Life and Witness of Katharine Drexel.
Near the Drexel family altar in Philadelphia’s cathedral, Saint Katharine Drexel’s tomb gathers a family history and a radical change of life. She inherited wealth, then placed it at the service of Christ and communities denied equal educational opportunity.
Born in Philadelphia in 1858, Katharine was raised in a household where prayer and practical care for people in need belonged together. When she sought ways to support mission among Native American communities, Leo XIII challenged her to become a missionary herself. She entered religious life rather than funding the work from a distance.
In 1891 she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The community built schools and missions serving Black and Native American students amid segregation, exclusion, and poverty. Her Eucharistic devotion was the center from which this sustained work grew.
Drexel died in 1955 and was canonized by John Paul II in 2000. In 2018 her remains were translated from the sisters’ motherhouse to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The tomb is a place for prayer and for remembering that her mission required institutions, teachers, and years of fidelity.
Drexel did more than give money away. She gave herself, founded a community, and supported education through the long work of confronting exclusion.
A life, in years and approximate ages.
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1858BirthBorn in PhiladelphiaKatharine Drexel is born on November 26.
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1889Enters religious formationShe chooses consecrated life and prepares for mission.
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1891Founds the Sisters of the Blessed SacramentThe new community commits itself to education and mission.
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1915Xavier University foundedThe sisters establish the university in New Orleans for Black students.
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1955At deathDies in PennsylvaniaKatharine dies on March 3.
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2000After deathCanonized by John Paul IIThe Church canonizes her on October 1.
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2018After deathRemains translated to PhiladelphiaHer remains are brought to the cathedral beside the family altar.
Dates are approximate where the surviving record is traditional or incomplete.
One place where this witness remains visible.
Visit Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
Enter the cathedral and pray at the tomb beside the Drexel family altar; then read the mission history offered by the shrine.
Enter the cathedral and pray at the tomb beside the Drexel family altar; then read the mission history offered by the shrine.
The cathedral tomb has held Katharine Drexel’s remains since their 2018 translation.
Tomb and bodily remains
Her bodily remains were translated from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament motherhouse to Philadelphia’s cathedral on August 2, 2018. They rest in a tomb near the Drexel family altar.
The saint is publicly venerated at a named tomb.
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
Saints Connected to Katharine Drexel
Kept on March 3.
The Church commemorates Saint Katharine Drexel on March 3.
Enter the cathedral and pray at the tomb beside the Drexel family altar; then read the mission history offered by the shrine.
Photo credits
- Saint page. Unknown photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. Public Domain.
- Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.