Wednesday, March 3, 2010

St. Katherine Drexel

If your father is an international banker and you ride in a private railroad car, you are not likely to be drawn into a life of voluntary poverty. But if your mother opens your home to the poor three days each week and your father spends half an hour each evening in prayer, it is not impossible that you will devote your life to the poor and give away millions of dollars. Katharine Drexel did that.

She was born in Philadelphia in 1858. She had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl, she had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal illness, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn.

To read the rest, go to St. Anthony Messenger Press Saint of the Day. You can subscribe to get their Saint of the Day email (appropriate reading level for children, but good reminders for adults too) here, by clicking on the Free E-Newsletters button.

Thanks to SQPN (where you can also find copious information and images of saints) for the photo.

1 comment:

Thérèse said...

For a fantastic story on St. Katherine, check out "How Kate Beat the Klan" on Whispers today.