Saint of the Day: St. Katharine Drexel
Katharine, the second daughter of Francis Anthony and Hannah Langstroth, was born on November 26, 1858. Katharine’s mother, Hannah, passed away about one month after her birth. A few years later, Katharine’s father, a wealthy and prominent banker and philanthropist, married Emma Bouvier – a distant aunt to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onasis. Emma was a deeply religious woman. Three years later, Emma gave birth to her own child, a third daughter whom they named Louise. The deeply religious couple taught their children that wealth was meant to be shared with others, particularly the poor. The three siblings – Elizabeth, Katharine and Louise were inseparable. They traveled out west together where they encountered Native American Indians who lived on reservations and learned of their plight. These travels instilled within Katharine the desire to alleviate the sufferings of the Indians along with the oppressed among the Black people.When she visited Pope Leo XIII in Rome, Katharine asked hi...