This Year's Patron Saint

St. Katharine Drexel

Every year our group picks a patron saint to help us along our journey both before and during the trip. We look for saints who correlate with the general location we are going to and our mission. We felt that St. Katharine Drexel was the best fit for this year.

St. Katharine Drexel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she was growing up, her family was active in charitable works and distributed food, clothing, and money from their home twice a week. She founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Katharine Drexel is the the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists. She used $12 million of her inheritance to build schools and churches, giving the opportunity to many Native Americans and African Americans to learn grow in their faith. She also helped found the Society for the Preservation of the Faith Among Indian Children. She was beatified in 1988 after her first miracle of restoring a boy’s hearing was confirmed by the Vatican. She was then canonized in October 2000 after a young girl was cured from her deafness following prayers to Drexel and having her ears touched by some of Drexel’s possessions. St. Katharine Drexel’s feast day is celebrated on March 3rd and is the second US born saint.

St. Katharine Drexel Prayer

Ever loving God, you called Saint Katharine Drexel to teach the message of the Gospel and to bring the life of the Eucharist to the African American and Native American peoples.

By her prayers and example, enable us to work for justice among the poor and oppressed. Draw us all into the Eucharistic community of your Church, that we may be one in you.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.