Located in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel is home to the earthly remains of America's second canonized female saint. Francis Anthony Drexel was a hard-working successful banking partner with his brother, Anthony. Bouvier Drexel, his wife, proved to be a very loving, faith-filled and caring parent to their three daughters, Elizabeth, Catherine (Katie), and Louise. It was here that these young women realized that their lavish wealth was to be shared, not only with neighbors in need, but also with Missionaries throughout the world who were serving the poor and destitute. When they moved to the Torresdale section of Philadelphia, they befriended Fr. James O’Connor, pastor of the Church of Saint Dominic. His pastoral work to the Native Americans made it necessary for him to seek financial help from the Drexel family. Kate, now known as Katharine, who was following the plight of the native groups, saw the injustices they were suffering at the hands of the federal government. She noted as well, the severe racial injustices and torture of black people in the South, for whom she grieved. Clearly, priests were needed for both races to offer pastoral care and spiritual conversion to Christianity. On one of her final trips abroad, she begged for and was granted an audience with Pope Leo XIII to make a request for missionary priests. The Holy Father asked her to personally become a missionary, which sealed her own desire to enter Religious Life. On her return to America, at the suggestion of Bishop O’Connor, she went to the Novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh, PA in May, 1889, at age 29. She entered for the purpose of founding a new congregation which would serve the Native and African American people, tending especially to their conversion to the Catholic faith. Her deep love for the Blessed Sacrament was at the heart of her mission. She would not only take the three vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience, but also a fourth vow of Service to the “Indian and Black Races.” While in the Novitiate, Katharine gave focused attention to her personal religious development and even excelled, but often reflected on her past visits to the Native Americans, and to Sioux Chief Red Cloud. Her novice director, Mother Mary Inez, RSM, guided her toward her goal and also helped in the formation of 10 novices and three postulants who would travel with her to their own Novitiate in Cornwells Heights, PA (now known as Bensalem, PA). When Mother Katharine professed her vows, February 12, 1891, in the presence of Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia, the Foundation of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament became a reality. As a consecrated religious, Mother Katharine Drexel, SBS, wasted no time in moving onward to the West and the South establishing missions. By 1940, more than 30 Foundations were made in 17 states, where 400 of her sisters were serving. These great accomplishments happened in spite of the challenges of the Great Depression, vicious activities of the K*K, and the challenges of World War II. These hardships, along with the fierce winters and long, arduous journeys which Katharine continued to make, all contributed to her declining health. Her final years came after several heart attacks, which then confined her to the Motherhouse, which she called “her little Nazareth.” She lived there from her 84th year until her last breath. She died peacefully at age 96, on March 3, 1955.
