October 1, 2003

My Dear Missionaries,

On a rainy Sunday afternoon three years ago (October 1,  2000) a large crowd of Holy Year pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.  They had come from every corner of the world to take part in the canonization of 120 Chinese Martyrs, Josephine Bakhita, Maria Josefa del Corazón de Jesús and Katharine Drexel.  In his homily  Pope John Paul II said, “Mother Katharine Drexel was born into great wealth in Philadelphia but learned from her parents that the family's possessions were not for them alone but were meant to be shared with the less fortunate. As a young woman, she was deeply distressed by the poverty and hopeless conditions endured by many Native Americans and Afro-Americans and devoted her resources to missionary and educational work among the poorest members of society.  Later, she understood that more was needed. With great courage and confidence in God's grace, she chose to give not just her fortune but her whole life totally to the Lord.

To her religious community, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, she taught a spirituality based on prayerful union with the Eucharistic Lord and zealous service of the poor and the victims of racial discrimination. Her apostolate increased awareness of the need to combat all forms of racism through education and social services. Katharine Drexel is an excellent example of that practical charity and generous solidarity with the less fortunate which has long been the distinguishing mark of American Catholics.

May her example help young people in particular to appreciate that there is no greater treasure in this world than following Christ wholeheartedly and using our gifts to serve others and build a more just and fraternal world”.

The General Directorates of our Institutes have chosen Saint Katharine Drexel as our Patron Saint for 2004.   Her life, an extraordinary example of prophetic missionary zeal on behalf of victims of discrimination, demonstrates the importance of a strong spirituality if our missionary efforts are to succeed and  our witness to Gospel values is to be credible.

I would like to say a few words about Mother Katharine’s life[1] and talk about those aspects of her spirituality that can be of inspiration for us, Consolata Missionaries.

1.  Saint Katharine Drexel – “friend of the oppressed”

This is the title of a recent biography of the Saint[2] and includes three words that tell the story of her life.  Holiness was her life’s ideal;  her missionary endeavor was both human and apostolic;  she chose to work among African-Americans and Indians – they represented the most excluded part of American society during her lifetime. 

Katharine was born in Philadelphia (USA) on November 26, 1858 into a rich banker’s family.  Her mother died five weeks after her birth.  Two years later her father, Francis, married Emma Bouvier who became Katharine’s real mother.  Both Francis and Emma were profoundly religious;  they saw marriage as an occasion to help each other in their faith and to raise a Christian family.  They built a small chapel in their house that became a center of daily prayer and the birthplace of their commitment to the poor of whom there were so many in the American society of that time.

The couple’s example exercised a profound influence on their three children – and especially on Katharine the second of three daughters.  Katharine was naturally sympathetic to the poor and motivated by the love of God.  Katharine’s religious and charitable commitments did not curtail her involvement in the social activities her family could easily afford:  trips abroad, country houses and society friendships. When her parents died the daughters inherited an immense fortune. Father James O’Connor, who later became a bishop, was Katharine’s spiritual director.  Under his direction her desire to help the poor and conviction that God was calling her to religious life grew. 

As the young girl was preparing to enter religious life, Msgr. O’Connor made a startling suggestion:  “The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that God is calling you to establish a religious congregation for Indians and Afro-Americans.”  Katharine was reluctant to accept this suggestion.  She felt inept and did not see herself as a Foundress and feared the opposition she was likely to encounter.  Finally, after much prayer, she wrote to the Bishop: “St. Joseph has granted me a special favor and I am willing to agree with your plans completely.” It was the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 1889.

From that time on she had but one goal: to carry out God’s plan and serve the poor by founding the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.  She spent her large fortune and life’s energy – similarly abundant – on behalf of poor Indians in the West and blacks in the South.  She founded houses, schools and missions and combated the strong prejudices against blacks and Indians that were common in those days.

Constant involvement in the apostolate did not distract Mother Katharine from her primary  commitment to holiness and the spiritual welfare of her sisters.  With the incomparable help of Msgr. Patrick J. Ryan who became Archbishop of Philadelphia after Msgr. O’Connor’s unexpected death in 1890, Mother Katharine taught, wrote, urged and encouraged her sisters in their work.

In 1935 age began to take its toll on Mother Katharine’s robust health.  She retired to the Motherhouse and dedicated herself to prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  She continued to share her insights and wise advice with  her spiritual daughters who increased in number and whose work spread.  She concluded her earthly journey on March 3, 1955 at the age of 97. 

2.  “Why don’t you become a missionary, yourself?”

A passion for the missions dominated Katharine Drexel’s life.  As a young girl she had but one dream, one concern:  to assist those who lacked the bare necessities for a life of dignity – something to which everyone has a right.  With her  vast financial resources Katharine devoted herself to helping orphans, supporting Indian missions, building schools, establishing clinics and providing assistance to those trapped in the slums of Philadelphia her native city.  She soon felt that this was not enough.  Slavery had been abolished but racist laws continued to exist.  Whole segments of society were excluded from any type of advancement or social progress.  At the suggestion of her spiritual director, Bishop James O’Connor, she made a pilgrimage to Rome to ask the Pope to send missionaries to the Indians and blacks of North America.  To her great surprise the Pope said, “My dear daughter, why don’t you become a missionary, yourself?”  This was a turning point.  She would no longer give just her money to the poor – she would give herself.

Her passion for the poor and excluded grew along with her decision about a choice of life.  It  became increasingly clear that her life of devotion to the poor  was about to impose a definitive decision upon her.  She wrote to her spiritual director, “There’s an emptiness in my heart that only God can fill.”  Jesus was calling her:  “come, follow me!”  She gradually overcame doubt and uncertainty and gave herself completely to God and the work to which he was calling her.

Mother Drexel’s ninety-seven years of life were spent entirely on behalf of the North American missions and the poor people who lived on that continent.  She crossed the enormous country countless times, raised her voice against racial discrimination, built schools and even a university for Afro-Americans and established her sisters in the most abandoned and out-of-the-way places in America.  As always happens in missionary history she met with obstacles, persecution and even death threats.  It was another proof of the old insight – only the cross confers coherence and credibility on apostolic life.”

3.  The soul of missionary work

For Katharine Drexel holiness of life was the soul of the missions.  Poor people were the center of her heart’s concern because she saw God in their midst.  It is only in God that we can truly love the poor, proclaim the Gospel of Christ and give ourselves to others without reservation. 

Like all saints Katharine had a secret life that led to holiness.  This life is revealed in her many writings and especially in the formation she gave her sisters.  We could summarize it as follows:

- Holiness of life is something to be desired, loved and willed with all one’s resources.  From childhood she practiced self-sacrifice in an effort to subdue her rebellious nature and during the long months of her mother’s illness she learned the art of prayer and abandonment to God.  She soon realized that only charity can make faith real and that it was God’s will that she consecrate her life to Christ and establish a new religious family.

-  For Katharine following and imitating Christ was the high road to holiness. Here too she had a secret insight.  “I liked to imagine how small Jesus’ foot was at his birth.  A small foot cannot cover great distances – it can only take small steps.  If we imitate the infant Jesus we place our feet in his footsteps.  With his grace we can learn – little by little – to make longer journeys and take bigger steps.  If we are faithful in small things we will be given the grace to do great things.”

-  Apostolic life and contemplation are inseparable.  Both are rooted in the Eucharist, the inexhaustible source of life.  How easy it is to appreciate this holy woman’s insights and at the same time understand our own Founder.  However diverse the saints may be there are certain fundamental principles on which they agree!

-  Holiness’s thousands of manifestations converge in a love that derives from a commitment to seek and carry out the will of God.  God has uncounted surprises in store for us – for this reason Katharine frequently asked God for the gift of courage.

4.  On the edge of her seat

This is how those who knew Mother Katharine describe her:  she was eager to meet people, to listen and to be available to everyone – but especially to those in need.  The goal of her life was to become a gift of love for everyone at all times.

She was the daughter of a rich banker and learned early on that the riches of this world do not belong to us;  Providence entrusts them to our care to meet the needs of others. 

From the time she discovered the poor every minute of her day was devoted to alleviating their sufferings, discovering their needs and fighting for their rights.  When she realized that she was called to the religious life God occupied the center of her heart.  In a heart that beat only for God a new religious family was born.  Spiritual motherhood was part of God’s plan for her life;  love would no longer be satisfied with her possessions, time and concern – it would demand her whole self.

Mother Drexel wrote frequently about charity which was the breath of life for her and for her daughters.  Her life gave witness to this charity.  She talks about charity often and at length and holds it up as an ideal for people leading consecrated lives.  Charity was the authentic motivation of the missions and the power that supported those who dedicated their lives to the poor.

Authentic Christian love has certain indispensable characteristics and a distinct style all its own.

-  It is comes from God and always goes back to him;

-  It is spontaneously receptive of others – it breaks down barriers and destroys prejudice.  It’s only preference is for the poor;

-  Humility is its constant companion;  without humility it runs the risk of contamination or compromise;

-  A smile and a cheerful heart are signs of its authenticity;

-  It does not fear enemies, persecution, calumny or hatred.  These things can only purify and strengthen it.

5.  Westward and Southward

For saints, a “geography” of charity can exist.  Mother Katharine’s charity looked westward – to the sunbathed plains where Native Americans lived.  The European invasion had displaced them from their original homelands and pushed them to the edges of society where their culture and values began to disintegrate and where they fell easy prey to alcoholism and disease.  Mother Drexel was convinced that Native Americans – and not outsiders – would solve their own problems and guarantee their future.  For this reason she did everything she could to improve their condition through intellectual, social and religious education. 

American blacks living and working in the agricultural south had met almost the same fate as Native Americans.  The centuries long slavery from which they had only recently been freed had left lasting effects.  As social and human outcasts their chances for advancement and development were severely curtailed.  Mother Katharine committed her sisters to working among black people – primarily through education.  She established a university for African Americans. 

Katharine had the courage to raise the banner of human rights for blacks and Native Americans who had been oppressed or ignored for so long.  She did not hesitate to engage in the unseemly fight for social improvement and defense of the outcast even though her involvement alienated the wealthy and “right thinking” middle classes.  She did everything she could to raise consciousness in the Church on social matters even though she knew she was swimming upstream. 

We Consolata Missionaries too  come up against so many problems involving justice and human rights in the countries where we work.  Katharine Drexel is a role model – she teaches us not to lose courage when faced with complex problems and mainstream opposition.  The welfare of the poor and oppressed must be our primary concern.

As missionaries we must have keen eyes that see beyond the daily needs of the poor we serve and enable us to combat societal evils, “legal” injustices and inhumane systems.  We cannot ignore the strong appeal of our most recent General Chapter:  "Throughout the world today people are coming together to reject violence and war, and to promote respect for the person, rights and dignity of individuals along with the ideals of liberty, justice, fraternity, the elimination of racism or nationalism and concern for the environment (Cf. RM 86).  These elements are part of ad gentes evangelization and our ministry of consolation.  They involve a commitment to reconciliation and concrete options/actions on behalf of the poor” (p. 46).

6.  “I thank God I am a daughter of the Church”

On the jubilee of her religious profession Mother Katharine shared her thoughts with her spiritual daughters:  “I thank God I am a daughter of the Church.  I thank God for the privilege of having met so many of the Church’s great missionaries who have given me the gift of so many prayers … I thank God who has allowed me to witness their lives.  They are a part of God’s Church – and along with the great St. Teresa, I thank God that I too am a daughter of the Church.”  (C.M. Duffy, Katharine Drexel: A Biography, 358).

Love and a passion for the Church were characteristics of her life – and it could not have been otherwise.  These are always the signs of authenticity for an apostle and a missionary.  She devoted all her human, moral and spiritual energies to the service of the Church.  When her body weakened and her  physical strength ebbed she devoted herself to praying more and more intensely for the Church. 

For Mother Katharine the Church was an enormous family free of racial and social prejudice that gathered at the Eucharistic banquet and journeyed through the world giving witness to the values of the Gospel.

As sons of Blessed Allamano we must be especially sensitive to the theme so magnificently explained in the chapter Sentire cum Ecclesia of Vita Consecrata.  “Consecrated persons are asked to be true experts of communion and to practice the spirituality of communion as ‘witnesses and architects of the plan for unity which is the crowning point of human history in God's design’. The sense of ecclesial communion, developing into a spirituality of communion, promotes a way of thinking, speaking and acting which enables the Church to grow in depth and extension. The life of communion in fact ‘becomes a sign for all the world and a compelling force that leads people to faith in Christ ... In this way communion leads to mission, and itself becomes mission’; indeed, ‘communion begets communion: in essence it is a communion that is missionary’". (46)

Conclusion

All the aspects of St. Katharine Drexel’s life – her intense apostolic and missionary activity, her courageous and prophetic choices – come together and have their source in the mystery of the Eucharist.  Jesus in the Eucharist was truly her great treasure.  The Collect from St. Katharine’s Mass (Feast March 2)  says this very succinctly:

Ever-loving God,
you called Blessed Katharine Drexel
to teach the message of the Gospel
and to bring the life of the Eucharist
to the African American and Native American peoples.

By her prayers and example,
enable us to work for justice
among the poor and the oppressed,
and keep us undivided in love
in the eucharistic community of your Church.

Amen!

May St. Katharine’s holy life and apostolic zeal together with the paternal intercession of our Father Founder foster our commitment to live out what our Constitutions affirm:  “We follow Christ in a special way, imitating the obedient, chaste and poor life he chose for himself and proposed to his disciples.  We are totally open to God, the Church and our brothers, ready to proclaim the Gospel in every part of the world and give witness with our lives to the infinite power of the Spirit (Cf. Acts 2,4)” (20).

May Mary, the Consolata, and Blessed Allamano bless you while I send you my heartfelt and fraternal greetings.

Father Piero Trabucco, imc

Father General