Katherine Drexel, Religious, 1858-1955

Katherine lived in Philadelphia and was the daughter of a wealthy banker there. She traveled quite a lot and received a very good education. Her family spent much of its fortune caring for the poor in the city, and Katherine, influenced by this, gave her life over to taking care of Native and African Americans. In her early twenties, Katherine had considered a religious vocation. She was doing much good in her charitable works, however, and the fullness of her life left little time for thoughtfully pursuing that vocation. Eventually she entered the convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh. Later, in 1891, she founded a new order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People.

While Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, he never said that it was impossible. The Drexel family provides an excellent example of the proper use of wealth. Although most of us will never be in this position, we can follow the example of Katherine and use our resources to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.