Dignus Catholici: Saint Katharine Drexel

How a Catholic Nun Stood Against Racial Prejudice

Now here is a woman for our day today. Drexel came from a wealthy Catholic family in Philadelphia, who regularly used their money for charitable work to personally support struggling families. Her father died and left Saint Katharine a large amount of money, but she decided to use it and the rest of her life to support African Americans and Native Americans. She even established a religious order to this end: the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

Katharine Drexel as a young woman, before she took her vows

Many did not share her convictions for helping racial minorities at the time. In fact at one of the first convents she attempted to built for the sisters, a stick of dynamite that had failed to detonate was discovered in the construction site, indicating attempted sabotage. This wasn't too much of a shock; during the early 20th century at the height of the Jim Crow South, Anti-Catholic sentiment was also on the rise and the Ku Klux Klan was considered a legitimate patriotic social institution. Most Anti-Catholic sentiment stemmed from two things: Nativists attitudes among WASPs in the US and the fact the Catholic Church was a strong opponent of Racial Segregation in the US.

In 1913 the Georgia State Legislature passed a law forbidding the teaching of Colored students by White teachers, at a time when Katharine Drexel was lobbying for land to build schools in black communities run by the sisters.

When she purchased a building to open what became Xavier Preparatory School in New Orleans, vandals smashed every window in the building before renovations could begin.

Then in 1922 Klansmen in Beaumont, Texas posted a sign on the door of a Catholic Church where the Sisters had opened a school which read, and I quote, "We want an end of services here, ... Suppress it in one week or flogging with tar and feathers will follow." However, in what I can only describe as a glorious act of God's vengeance, a few days later a God willed that a terrible thunderstorm should come upon the town, which ended in the complete destruction of the Klan's headquarters therein.

The assault of Segregationists against these faithful nuns never ceased. They even burned schools as far north as Pennsylvania. In spite of the barbarian Yanks' No-Popery gangs, by 1942 the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament had built a reliable system of Catholic schools for African Americans and in 13 states, including 40 mission centers and 23 more schools in rural areas.

St. Benedict the Moor School, St. Augustine (c. 1898), paid for by St. Katharine Drexel.

In 1935, however, Mother Katharine suffered a heart attack. She relinquished the office of Superior General in 1937, but she continued to be the main source of funds for the order. Over six decades spent in devotion to racial minorities she spent $20 million American dollars to her mission of service to the Black and Indian communities of the United States, paying for the salaries of all the employees out of her own pocket.

After her death, the order legally could not have control of her fortune. But nevertheless, God provided and the order expanded its mission activities to 21 states and the nation of Haiti.

Saint Katharine Drexel was a symbol of Catholic sense, charity, and racial tolerance in a country that did not grasp or accept these things and still struggles with them today. I personally would see her mission continued today in helping racial minorities in struggling communities. I think they would've done much better with a bit of security on their property. That and the general idea of the IMBC routing a large Klan rally somewhere just appeals to me in general.

Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So sentries are invaluable. Using this image of a 22nd Rgt. Mordian Iron Guard Sgt. cosplay because I really like the uniform. Take notes!

Let us pray to Saint Katharine Drexel as we remember current events in Ferguson, Missouri. Let us pray for racial tolerance and sanity to gain a foothold in this tragedy, and that justice might be done upon all and a step forward will be taken toward a better future in America where racial prejudices no longer hinder this burgeoning empire we know as the United States of America.

This may be the only time I post an American Flag in any sort of romanticized way. Take a picture, dear readers; it will last longer.