St. Katherine Drexel Novena
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Show HideSt. Katherine Drexel was the second American-born citizen to be canonized a saint. She lived in the 1800s-1900s. She was a wealthy heiress who gave up her fortune to become a religious sister.
St. Katherine Drexel is known for addressing issues of racial inequality in society, long before the issue was widely recognized in the United States. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this holy woman in your life!
About St. Katherine Drexel
St. Katherine Drexel was born in Philadelphia in 1858. She had one older sister, and her father was a banker. Her mother died shortly after Katherine’s birth.
Katherine’s father remarried two years after Katherine’s birth. He and his new wife had another daughter.
The Drexel daughters had a good education from private tutors. The family was well-off financially and were very devout Catholics.
During Katherine’s childhood, she witnessed her father spending thirty minutes in prayer at the end of each day. Her stepmother also opened up their house to distribute supplies and money to those in need each week.
Despite the wealth of her family, Katherine never let money affect the way she lived out her Faith. Instead, she did all she could to put her wealth to good use for those in need.
When Katherine was a young woman, her stepmother suffered from cancer for three years before dying from it. Katherine began to realize more deeply that wealth or worldly possessions could do nothing to truly shield a person from suffering.
From this time onward, Katherine’s life became filled with a passionate love for God, as well as love of neighbor.
Katherine soon saw firsthand the plight of the Native Americans at the time, when she traveled with her family to the western states. She strongly desired to do something to help them.
Katherine’s father died the next year, leaving a huge estate. He donated part of his estate to charity and had the rest split between his daughters. Katherine and her sisters immediately donated a large amount of money to the St. Francis Mission of the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
Katherine knew that missionaries were needed as well in the efforts to assist the Native Americans. During a private audience between the Drexel sisters and Pope Leo XIII, he suggested that Katherine herself become a missionary.
Katherine discussed the matter with her spiritual director, and she decided to enter the religious life. She wanted to give her fortune and her life to God through service to Native Americans and blacks in need.
Katherine entered the Sisters of Mercy in Philadelphia as a postulant in 1889. She took her first vows in 1891. Soon, she established a new religious order called the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The members were to serve among Native American and black communities in need..
For many years after this, Katherine worked to establish schools and assist the poor among the Native American and black population. By the time she died in 1955, Katherine had more than five hundred sisters teaching in 63 schools. She also established fifty missions for Native Americans.
Katherine was forced to retire at age seventy-seven when she suffered a heart attack. She spent the rest of her life in prayer until she died at age ninety-six.
St. Katherine Drexel’s Feast Day: March 3rd
Why Pray the St. Katherine Drexel Novena?
St. Katherine Drexel is the patron saint of racial justice. You can seek her intercession for the cause of racial justice in our society today. You can also ask her to pray for anyone you know who is suffering because of a lack of racial justice.
Additionally, St. Katherine Drexel is the patron saint of philanthropists. You can ask her to pray for you if you are a philanthropist or are trying to become a philanthropist. You can also ask her to pray for a philanthropist whom you know.
You can pray the St. Katherine Drexel Novena for any intention!
St. Katherine Drexel Novena Prayers
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed from the time she was a young girl in a devout Catholic family.
St. Katherine Drexel, you had the benefit of a holy upbringing in the Faith. Your father and stepmother set you on the path to holiness, and you continued on this path of service to God for the rest of your life.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served!
Your father and stepmother set examples of prayer and holy works of charity throughout your childhood and adolescence. As an adult, you imitated their example and did all you could to serve God.
Pray for me, that I may do all I can to serve God in my life. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to bring others to God through a holy example.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in putting her great wealth to use serving those in need.
St. Katherine Drexel, you watched your father and stepmother put their wealth to use for the good of those in need. As you grew to adulthood, you made use of your own wealth to serve God through acts of charity.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so devotedly!
Though you became very wealthy after your father’s death, you did not desire to keep this wealth for yourself. Instead, you used it to meet the needs of underserved communities, out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may never have an inordinate attachment to worldly goods. Pray that I may, like you, be eager to put my material wealth to use for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in her life of service and constant charity towards the less fortunate.
St. Katherine Drexel, you began on the path to a life of holy charitable service as a young child. You continued to devote your money and energy to serving the less fortunate for the rest of your life.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You saw the particular needs of the Native American and black communities in America at the time. Seeing that these needs were not being met, you did all you could to assist these communities out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may grow in my charity towards those in need. Pray that I may never weary of serving my brothers and sisters in Christ out of love for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate her devotion to You that began to grow as she contemplated the suffering of her stepmother.
St. Katherine Drexel, you were greatly saddened by the suffering of your stepmother during her struggle with terminal cancer. As you watched her, you realized more profoundly that no amount of material wealth could truly shield people from suffering.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!
Your contemplation of wealth and suffering led you to devote your life more deeply to the service of others. You set out to do all you could to assist those in the greatest need, out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may always do all I can to assist those in need. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to alleviate the sufferings of others out of love for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in choosing to devote her life to Your service as a religious sister.
St. Katherine Drexel, you saw the need for missionaries to assist communities in need. When the Pope suggested that you work as a missionary yourself, you opened yourself up to God’s will for your life.
Please bring my petitions before the throne of God!
You established a religious order to serve communities that needed assistance. You devoted the rest of your life to serving those in need, out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may always be open to following God’s call in my life. Pray that I may be eager to put my gifts to use in whatever ways God calls me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the virtue she showed in her dedicated service as a missionary.
St. Katherine Drexel, you saw that the Native American and black communities were in great need of missionaries to minister to them. After discerning that God was calling you to this task, you wholeheartedly devoted yourself to serving God as a missionary.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so wholeheartedly!
You established a missionary religious order to meet the needs of underserved minority communities. You worked tirelessly to establish schools and missions throughout the country, out of love for God.
Pray for me, that I may always be eager to put my gifts to the use of those in need. Pray that I may never miss the opportunity to serve others out of love for God.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in working to serve marginalized minority communities.
St. Katherine Drexel, you saw that the Native American and black communities in the country were marginalized and in need of assistance. Though the problems of racial injustice were not being widely addressed in your society, you boldly worked to do what you could out of love for God.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you sought to serve!
You established a religious order whose purpose was to serve these marginalized minority communities. You devoted the rest of your life to this holy service.
Pray for me, that I may never neglect to assist others in need. Pray that I may be eager to do all I can to serve even those whom society ignores.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to You she showed in entering the religious life and establishing a new religious order.
St. Katherine Drexel, you discerned that God was calling you to serve Him as a religious missionary. You chose to wholeheartedly devote yourself to Jesus as His Bride.
Please continue to bring my petitions before the throne of your Divine Spouse!
You established a religious order for the specific purpose of serving marginalized minority communities. You worked tirelessly to grow your religious order and increase the good work it was completing.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted a servant of God as you were. Pray that I may always be eager to follow God’s call in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Katherine Drexel Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Katherine Drexel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the love of You she showed in her tireless work for You and Your Church.
St. Katherine Drexel, you chose to become a religious sister and to serve as a missionary among racial minority communities in need. You devoted yourself to God and His Church through this ministry.
Please bring my petitions before God Whom you served so tirelessly!
You established a new religious order to serve the Native American and black communities in need. You established schools and missions throughout the country, and you spent the rest of your life serving God through this work.
Pray for me, that I may never waver in my commitment to God and His Church. Pray that I may be eager to do all I can to serve God and His Church.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Katherine Drexel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.