Francis Drexel died suddenly in 1885. According to his will
the three sisters inherited the income from his estate, not the
principal during their lifetime. The principal would go to their
children, but if no children survived them, the money was to be distributed to the charities he listed.
Msgr. Joseph Stephan, director of the Catholic Bureau of Indian Missions, introduced Katharine and her sisters to the plight of the Native Americans. Traveling with him and with Bishop O'Connor,
the young women visited several remote reservations in 1887 and 1888. They met with tribal leaders and witnessed the dire poverty endured by the people.
Katharine began building schools on the reservations, providing
food, clothing and financial support. Aware also of the suffering
of the black people, she extended her love to them. During her
lifetime, through the Bureau of Colored and Indian Missions, she supported churches and schools throughout the United States
and abroad.