This March, we feature stories of inspiring female saints and holy women in the history of the Catholic Church. Check back regularly as this page will be updated with new featured stories and biographies!
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Mother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children. Read her full biography here: Biography of Elizabeth Ann Seton
St. Kateri Tekakwitha (the “Lily of the Mohawks”): Kateri was born among Mohawk people in the Turtle Clan. She lost her parents and siblings at a young age from smallpox. She survived but was left with scars and weak eyes. Kateri converted and was baptized at the age of 20. She suffered many hardships – the loss of her parents, her physical limitations, and ridicule for her choices to remain unmarried and become a Christian. She was devoted to God, especially in creation and in the Eucharist. She also cared for the sick, practiced penance, and told wonderful stories. At the age of twenty-four, she became ill and died. At her death, the scars on her face disappeared and she was radiant. Her last words were, “Jesus, I love you.” (full biography here).
St. Katharine Drexel: Katharine was born into a wealthy and generous family. They opened their home to feed the hungry and serve the poor with clothing and rental assistance. Katharine dedicated her life to serving American Indian and African American people. Her decision made big news in the elite social circles of Philadelphia; newspapers wondered how she could walk away from married life and an inheritance worth more than $100 million in today’s dollars—to serve poor people. Katharine founded a religious order of nuns—the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament—to serve people marginalized by American society. They founded schools and mission centers for black and Native American children. In 1915, Katharine opened Xavier University in New Orleans, the first Catholic university in the nation that accepted black students. St. Katharine is remembered as the patron saint of racial justice. Read more about her life here.