Saint  Katharine  Drexel: Wealth Turned Into Eternal Treasure

Описание: The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/reading...

Father Matthew Tomeny, MIC, reminds us that true love begins with God and flows outward to every human soul. He explains that those who love themselves more than God impose heavy burdens, while those who love God above all seek to lift the weight from others. In this spirit, St. Katharine Drexel, born into immense wealth in 1858, chose to see the world through God’s eyes.

Educated by devout parents, she inherited more than $7 million — a fortune that would equal hundreds of millions today. Yet she recognized that money could not purchase health, nor could it replace the dignity of the poor. Guided by the prophetic call “wash yourselves clean… make justice your aim,” she turned her inheritance into works of mercy for orphans, widows, African‑American families, and Native‑American peoples.

Her humility led her to request missionaries for Wyoming, and the Pope’s reply — “why don’t you become a missionary?” — sparked a radical conversion. She surrendered her fortune, prompting headlines that read “Drexel Gives Up $7 Million.” From that surrender sprang fifty‑one convents, sixty schools, and one hundred forty‑five missions across the United States, including Xavier University, the first historically Black Catholic university.

For St. Katharine, the Eucharist was the source of every act of charity. She taught that when we behold Christ hidden in the sacrament, we also see Him hidden in each person we serve. The humble sacrifice of the Mass empowers us to love without selfish gain, mirroring her own life of self‑offering.