Katharine Drexel was born in Philadelphia in 1858. Her parents were very wealthy railroad entrepreneurs who vibrantly lived their faith, teaching young Katharine by their own example to use wealth for the benefit of others. Katharine had the opportunity to ask Pope Leo XIII to send more missionaries to serve the Native Americans. He replied, “Why don’t you become a missionary?” So she did, and founded her own order. Mother Drexel spent the rest of her life giving away millions of dollars of inheritance and raising millions more as her order established black Catholic schools in 13 states, set up 40 mission centers, 50 Native American missions, 23 rural schools, and Xavier University in New Orleans. She died of natural causes at 96.
CHALLENGE
St. Katharine Drexel saw a need for missionaries but didn’t realize that she had the opportunity to be the missionary. It’s easy to recognize a problem, it’s a challenge to be the person who is the solution. Think about your life, your neighborhood, and your travels. Where have you seen a need? How is God calling you to be a missionary at work, in your neighborhood, in your state, or beyond? How can you be the solution?
Our #1 best-seller, Letters From the Voyages of St. Frances Cabrini is a collection of 17 of Mother Cabrini’s letters to her missionary sisters, beautifully re-typeset from the original 1945 edition. Combining lessons of faith and wisdom with vivid descriptions of her adventures, it’s sure to be read again and again.
