Discover the Inspiring Life: Top 7 Fun Facts About St. Katharine Drexel You Never Knew

1. Robin Hood of Religion

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is: St. Katharine Drexel, the original Robin Hood of the religious world, turned her $14 million inheritance (that's a cool $250 million today) into a divine mission, doling out nearly $20 million of her own cold, hard cash to establish and support a whopping 65 schools, churches, and centers in 21 states through her holy squad, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Sister Katharine said, "Injustice? Not on my watch!" devoting her fortune to advancing social justice and education for minorities, leaving behind a little thing we like to call a legacy.
Source => franciscanmedia.org

2. Education Crusader

In a throwback to a time when tuition fees wouldn't burn a hole in your pocket and sticking it to the haters was as explosive as a lit stick of dynamite, along came St. Katharine Drexel with her heart set on education for all: She not only founded the first Roman Catholic university in the US that opened its doors to black students – Xavier University in New Orleans, in 1915 – but also faced down the threats of segregationists, dodged burning schools, and refused to let any explosive surprises blow up her mission to serve underrepresented students.
Source => faith.nd.edu

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=> Fun Facts about Harriet-Tubman

3. Real-Life Robin Hood

Talk about putting your money where your heart is: St. Katharine Drexel took her hefty inheritance and played a real-life Robin Hood, founding schools and mission centers for Native Americans and African American communities, including Xavier University in New Orleans - the only historically black Catholic university in the U.S. of A.
Source => marian.org

4. Philanthropic Sisters Trio

Talk about sisterly love and sibling rivalry going hand in hand: St. Katharine Drexel and her siblings turned philanthropy into a family affair! Hilarity ensued: Elizabeth set up St. Francis de Sales Industrial School for orphaned boys but passed away during her honeymoon, while Louise and her hubby Edward founded a boarding school for black boys called St. Emma in Virginia. Not to be outdone, St. Katharine established St. Francis de Sales for black girls and even Xavier University in New Orleans for African American students. All three sisters dedicated their lives to education, making sure they left their mark on the world for good.
Source => katharinedrexel.org

5. Catholic Superheroine

They say you can't keep a good nun down, and St. Katharine Drexel sure put up a fiery fight against ignorance: This Catholic superheroine founded and supported schools for Native Americans and African Americans all across America, shrugged off segregationists burning one of her schools in Pennsylvania, and traversed vast distances, all to make her mark on social justice and education, earning her the title of Patroness of Racial Justice and Philanthropists.
Source => nationalshrine.org

6. Pioneering Philanthropy Sisters

Before "sharing is caring" was cool and became a hashtag, St. Katharine Drexel and her sisters were rocking the philanthropy scene with their stepmom-approved charitable escapades: Turns out, St. Katharine's early exposure to aiding widows and single moms led her to devote her life to alleviating oppression for Native Americans and African Americans.
Source => diaschools.org

7. Saintly Investment Guru

As if being a saint wasn't enough street cred, St. Katharine Drexel rocked the philanthropy world like a boss and became the original Sister of the Blessed Sacrament: With her massive inheritance, she not only helped advance social equality for African Americans and Native Americans, but even played a part in founding two famous universities—Drexel University and Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically black Catholic university. Now that's a heavenly investment plan!
Source => drexel.edu