St. Katharine Drexel was very passionate about education. She saw education as a key way to break out of poverty. During her ministry, she started many schools all around the country, and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament continued her mission by teaching at many more. Here, we highlight a few schools that St. Katharine Drexel founded and that continue her legacy into today.
Sr. Zoe’s Experience at St. Michael Indian School
Sr. Zoe Brenner, located in Arizona, spends much of her ministry following in Mother Katharine’s footsteps. She wanted to share one of her favorite quotes from St. Katharine Drexel and her experience as a Sister of the Blessed Sacrament.
To read Sr. Zoe’s experience and reflection in its entirety, click here.
St. Michael Indian School
During her life, St. Katharine Drexel founded 63 schools, 50 missions, and a university. Today, Saint Michael Indian School on the Navajo Nation continues to live out St. Katharine’s mission. Watch this video to hear from Sr. Amelia Breton and how the students are prepared to enter the world by learning about other cultures and the reality of poverty.
St. Edward School
St. Edward School was founded by Mother Katharine Drexel in November 1918 as an all-black school for the community of New Iberia, Louisiana. The school was led by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament until the summer of 2004; The entire staff is now a lay staff. The relationship between the Sisters and the influence of St. Katharine remains alive and strong within the school. Day-to-day operations continue to focus on the school’s mission of “Living the Eucharistic Reality that All are One in Christ.”
Watch this heartwarming video about St. Edward School and how the students and staff strive to live as St. Katharine did.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana was founded by Mother Katharine Drexel in 1925. Xavier is a nationally recognized leader in the STEM and health sciences fields, producing more African American students who graduate from medical school each year than any other university in the United States. Today Xavier remains committed to its founding mission of serving the underrepresented Black population and “the promotion of a more just and humane society.”
- Interact with a timeline of Xavier University of Louisiana’s history
- Go on a virtual campus tour
- Read and watch interviews on the founding of Xavier University of Louisiana
- Listen to the Xavier University Gospel Choir from Homecoming 2020
- Click here to view a statement on social justice from the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University.
