March 3, 2009

March 3 is the Feast of St. Katharine Drexel, niece of Anthony J. Drexel. Both niece and uncle were, in the words ofDan Rottenberg, 'social revolutionaries.' Tony Drexel's revolutionary idea was to found 'an institute that placed no restrictions on race, religion, gender or social class.' (The Man Who Made Wall Street, page 157)

Mother Mary Katharine established an order of nuns, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, that established and operated Catholic boarding schools for Indians and African-Americans. Mother Katharine's order and her Uncle Tony's Drexel Institute were both established in the same year, 1891. Mother Katharine was canonized in 2000.

For more information about Mother Katharine, see her Saint of the Day page at Americancatholic.org and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament historical exhibit about her. Thanks to @DrexelNews for the tip.