Book Review: "Katharine Drexel and the Sisters Who Shared Her Vision"

Saint Katharine Drexel visited Oklahoma twice: in 1902 and in 1905. In October 1902, besides visiting Purcell and other places in Oklahoma, she visited Sacred Heart Abbey and College, which had been rebuilt after the 1901 fire that destroyed most of the buildings. She probably came to inspect what she had helped to fund for the rebuilding of Sacred Heart.

She funded Saint Patrick’s Mission in Anadarko, which the Benedictine monks and Franciscan sisters operated. She funded several Native American and African American schools and helped parishes here in Oklahoma. She helped build the first school in Langston, which was staffed by Benedictine sisters from Guthrie, with a Benedictine monk as pastor. This little history just shows how much of an impact Saint Katharine had with the Church here in Oklahoma and its various endeavors.

This book, by Margaret McGuinness, presents the story of Saint Katharine and those who entered the order she founded, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People (the original title). She was one of the richest women in the United States. She and her sisters had inherited a large fortune from their father. The three sisters were generous in giving money for worthy causes. They zeroed in on what they saw as a need for the education of Native Americans and African Americans. McGuinness presents a survey of this. Saint Katharine was left alone to fulfill this ministry after the deaths of her sisters. She asked Pope Leo XIII to send workers to help Native Americans and African Americans. He asked her to do that, which she took to mean to establish an order that did this specific work.

Other women joined her in this task and helped staff schools and parishes in the Western U.S. and in the Southern U.S. They did not have too much help from the bishops as a group. The local bishops who needed their help were grateful for their help.

Saint Katharine, though, was very demanding in how her money was spent and required certain conditions to be met and that there be reports to her on how the money was spent, especially if they wanted or needed her continued help. She was an oddity in the Catholic Church in the United States, as a woman and a religious, she held a lot of power, which her money gave her. She and her order did a lot of good for many people.

McGuinness presents an overview of Saint Katharine and what her sisters did during her life and after her death, which changed things for the sisters who did not have a lot of money as they did while the saint lived. At her death, her inheritance stopped being given to the sisters because of Saint Katharine’s father’s will. The money went to other charities. This made it hard for the sisters to continue funding various ministries, which included Xavier University in Louisiana. The Sisters recently had to sell their large motherhouse in Bensalem, Penn., which had the saint’s remains. The motherhouse was sold, and Saint Katharine was moved to Sts. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral in Philadelphia. According to the 2022 Catholic Directory, there were 67 members of the congregation. The Sisters still work in various places. Saint Katharine and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament have a great legacy in the Church of the United States and here in Oklahoma.

This is a great book which includes black and white illustrations, endnotes and a bibliography. McGuinness posed that more research into Saint Katharine and her sisters, like research into the topics of race and how they lived with this issue. This book is highly recommended to those who are interested in American Catholic Church history, religious women, African American education and Native American history. Oklahoma is barely reference in this book, but still, she had a major financial impact on the Church here.

Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., Saint Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.