Women of Faith · Week 1 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Katharine Drexel
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
Raised to give, asked to go
Katharine Drexel was born on November 26, blank 1, in Philadelphia. Her father, Francis, was a rich banker. Three days a week her stepmother, Emma, opened the family home to the poor. Katharine and her sisters helped.
In blank 2 Francis died and left his daughters about $14 million. Out West, Katharine saw Native Americans living in terrible poverty on reservations. The government had taken their land, and their schools were falling apart. She began paying for schools and churches.
In 1887 she asked Pope Leo XIII to send blank 3. He replied, “Why not, my child, yourself become a missionary?” In 1891 she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.
Katharine's life
Write what happened in each year.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1858 | Write your answer |
| 1885 | Write your answer |
| 1887 | Write your answer |
| 1891 | Write your answer |
| 1894 | Write your answer |
| 1925 | Write your answer |
| 1935 | Write your answer |
| 1955 | Write your answer |
Quick check
Why did Katharine first begin giving money to build schools out West? Circle one.
- A The Pope ordered her to spend her inheritance there
- B Her father's will required her to fund missions
- C She wanted to move her family's bank to the West
- D She saw poverty and failing schools on reservations
Why is that the right answer?
Building in a divided country
For about 40 years Mother Katharine traveled the country. She built schools on reservations in the Southwest and schools for Black children in the South. blank 4 laws kept those children out of white schools.
In 1925 she founded Xavier University of blank 5, the first Catholic university for African Americans in the United States.
Many white people hated her for this work. The Ku Klux Klan, a hate group, threatened to bomb one of her schools in blank 6. A few days later, a tornado destroyed the Klan's headquarters. She kept building.
Quick check
What made Xavier University of Louisiana a first? Circle one.
- A It was the first Catholic university for African Americans in the U.S.
- B It was the first university of any kind to open in New Orleans
- C It was the first Catholic school built on a reservation
- D It was the first American college founded by a religious sister
Why is that the right answer?
Steward or owner?
A steward treats gifts as something to use for others. Sort each choice: stewardship, or keeping it for myself? Check one box for each.
| Item | Stewardship | Keeping it for myself |
|---|---|---|
| Using your editing skills to make a video for a parish food drive | ||
| Posting only to collect likes and followers | ||
| Tutoring a classmate in a subject you find easy | ||
| Spending every free hour gaming and none helping at home | ||
| Inviting someone who is left out into your group chat or game | ||
| Keeping your study notes secret so you stay ahead | ||
| Giving part of your allowance to a cause you have learned about |
Quick check
How did Katharine spend the last 20 years of her life? Circle one.
- A Traveling to visit each of her schools
- B Teaching classes at Xavier University
- C Praying in a small room at her convent
- D Raising new funds for her order in Rome
Why is that the right answer?
Think, pair, share
Katharine asked the Pope to send someone. He asked her, “Why not, my child, yourself become a missionary?” Think of a problem you see online, like someone being left out or mocked. What would it look like to stop waiting for someone else and act yourself?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “A problem I notice online is ...”“I usually wait for ... to fix it because ...”“One thing I could do myself is ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Matthew 6:21
Lord Jesus, all that we have comes from you.
Show us who needs the gifts you have given us.
Give us courage to act and not only to ask.
St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Katharine Drexel was canonized, which means officially named a saint, by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000. Her feast day is March 3.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Katharine Drexel shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Pick one gift you have: time, a skill, money or your screen time. Use it for someone else this week.