Saint Katharine Drexel - Catholic Saint

Saint Katharine Drexel

Also known as: Catherine Marie Drexel

Saint

Post-Congregation

Feast Day

3-Mar

Born

26 November 1858 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died

3 March 1955 of natural causes at the mother-house of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, 1663 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, Pennsylvania, USA 19020-8502; interred at the National Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel in Bensalem; the Shrine closed to the general public on 30 December 2017; relics moved to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the summer of 2018 and open for public veneration in September 2018

Canonized

1 October 2000 at Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II

Beatified

20 November 1988 by Pope John Paul II

Venerated

26 January 1987 by Pope John Paul II

Biography

Saint Katharine Drexel, born on 26 November 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, was the daughter of Francis Anthony and Emma (Bouvier) Drexel, who were extremely wealthy railroad entrepreneurs and philanthropists. From an early age, Katharine was taught by her parents to use her wealth for the benefit of others, with her parents even opening their home to the poor several days each week.