St. Katherine Drexel was the second native born US citizen to be canonized a saint. Born in 1858 to a wealthy family in Philadelphia, her mother passed away when Katherine was 5 weeks old. An aunt and uncle took her in and cared for her for two years. Then her father remarried and brought Katherine home. They were very close to a Philadelphia priest who was named as bishop in the west. When the family visited him, Katherine became acquainted with the struggles of the indigenous people there. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1889. Two years later, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. They would be the focus of her ministry for the rest of her life.
In 1915, at the request of the local bishop, Katherine and some of her sisters went to New Orleans to serve the black residents of the city. She founded Xavier High School and later Xavier University of Louisiana. Altogether she founded over 15 schools whose mission was the service of Indian and Black students.
    
St. Katherine Drexel was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000 AD. Pope Leo, whose black ancestors came from New Orleans, said she is “an example of those who have discovered that the poorest are not only objects of our compassion, but teachers of the Gospel. It is not a question of “bringing God to them, but of encountering God among them.”
    
She is the patron saint of racial justice and of philanthropists. Katherine’s feast day is this Tuesday, March 3.