Summer Saints

August includes some important feasts – the feast of the Transfiguration and the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some saints remembered include St. John Vianney (August 4), St. Clare (August 11) and others.

St. John Vianney is a patron of parish priests. We would do well to remember to pray for our parish priests, men and women religious, and for vocations that day and always.

During this Jubilee year of St. Francis of Assisi, we could celebrate with St. Clare, foundress of the Poor Clares. May we enjoy the beauty of God’s creation as the Franciscans and Poor Clares have. May their love of poverty of spirit help us to enjoy the simple joys of life.

St. Pius X (August 21) is known for lowering the age at which children might receive their first Holy Communion. St. Katharine received her first Holy Communion at eleven years old, one year earlier than the norm of twelve in 1870. Pope St. Pius X reigned from 1903 to 1914 and lowered the normal age to seven. Saint Katharine reflected: “How I would miss Our Lord if He were to be away from me by His bodily presence in the Blessed Sacrament! O Joy, today I shall see Him lifted up in the white consecrated Host and His Precious Blood in the Chalice. Would that I could meet Him truly as His handmaid, His pleasure, in my soul. Make me faithful to Him even as she [Mary] was to Him at Bethlehem and on the Hill of Skulls. I am needy and poor and I seek the strength to do this.”

May we always receive Holy Communion with the fervor and joy of those receiving Communion for the very first time!

The feasts of St. Monica and St. Augustine remind us of the power of a mother’s prayers. St. Augustine walked away from the church for thirty years before his mother’s prayers brought him back to the practice of his faith. May we share St. Monica’s perseverance in praying for family members or friends.

The end of summer is coming and soon the schools will welcome the return of students. May Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, be with the students, teachers, staff and parents in the coming school year.

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., A.S.B.S.

250th Celebration

This summer we will celebrate America’s 250^th Birthday. Saint Katharine would enjoy the celebrations with us. As a young woman, Kate attended the 1876 Centennial exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. She reacted with “three hearty cheers” as the Centennial procession passed her family’s balcony on Walnut Street. At that time, Kate was a little uncertain about the protocol as she and her family shared Uncle John Lakenau’s carriage with the German ambassador. She trusted she had acted as a polite young lady and not as a child.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI canonized St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint in the United States and Canada. Her feast is July 14^th. St. Katharine hoped, in 1937, that St. Kateri’s canonization would show that there is no distinction with God as to persons and that no race had a monopoly on sanctity.

Saint Katharine prayed that the hearts of our government officials would bring religion, justice and peace to our country. We can do the same.

July 16 is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Many Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament professed their vows on this day. Our prayers and best wishes are with the Sisters celebrating jubilees this year.

Many of us are planning or have planned vacations for the summer. As a young woman, St. Katharine anticipated having “nothing to do,” aside from one hour’s practice and one hour’s sewing. She did keep up with her prayers and daily Mass attendance. She knew that God works 24/7 and is always waiting for us to think of Him.

May your summer be a time of “re-creation,” providing opportunities to re-create yourself both physically and spiritually. May your summer be blessed and fun!

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., A.S.B.S.

Corpus Christi

Pentecost recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the Blessed Mother. St. Katharine wrote that “the Holy Ghost is ever within me – the presence of God.” Like the Apostles, we have received the Holy Spirit; like the Apostles, we each have our “own particular work to do for the Church.” Spending a little time with the Holy Spirit, after Communion or whenever we have some quiet time, we may hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit, inviting us to work with God to do what God has asked us to do. We will find joy in using the gifts and talents that God gave us in doing what God asks us to do.

St. Katharine prayed: “O most holy and most adorable Spirit of my Jesus, let me hear Your sweet voice. Oh, Divine Spirit I wish to be before Thee as a light feather, so that Your Breath may carry me where you will.” May we have the faith to trust God’s will to see us through whatever storms enter our lives and to rejoice with God when blessings come our way.

As a young woman, Kate wrote in her diary: “Do not let a day pass in … June without saying a fervent prayer to the Sacred Heart. Let nothing worry you.”  For St. Katharine, the Sacred Heart was “the center, the power of the Eucharist.” Devotion to the Sacred Heart had come easily and early to Kate. Kate had had an aunt – Emma’s sister – in the Religious of the Sacred Heart. Kate and her sisters did their sacramental preparations with the Religious of the Sacred Heart.

In her travels, St. Katharine tried to schedule daily Mass along her journey. She checked train schedules and would squeeze a daily Mass in between connections. She felt the omission of a daily reception of the Eucharist would be a great loss to her. St. Katharine had daily Mass and Communion written into the earliest rules of the congregation, something usually reserved to the cloistered communities in her day. She had originally considered entering a cloistered community for this reason.  Bishop O’Connor, her spiritual director, assured her that she could write that into her new congregation’s constitution.

The feast of Corpus Christi – the Body and Blood of Christ – is important to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Katharine wrote that “Each single Communion ought to be a real event in our life.” Do we feel as inspired each time we receive Communion as we might on Christmas or Easter? The gift of God Himself is the same, any day we receive Communion.

 

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., A.S.B.S.

A Moment with Saint Katharine for May

   

  The daughter born to Francis Anthony and Hannah Langstroth Drexel on November 26, 1858, was baptized “Catherine Mary Drexel.” 1858 was the year of the appearances of Our Blessed Mother in Lourdes. Kate, as the child was affectionately called, and her family visited the Shrine at Lourdes in 1875. As a young woman, Kate and her two sisters returned to Lourdes in 1884 and 1886.

         Is it any wonder that St. Katharine had a great devotion to Our Lady?

         St. Katharine urged the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to “not forget to propagate as much as possible devotion to the Rosary and meditation on the mysteries.” We can imagine the various stages of Our Lord’s life from His Birth to His Ascension into heaven, seating at the right hand of God the Father. We can also imagine Our Lady’s role in Jesus’ life from the Annunciation, the Wedding Feast of Cana, the establishment of the Eucharist, and her Assumption and Coronation as Queen of heaven and earth. At the Wedding Feast of Cana, somehow Mary learned of the newly wed couple’s dilemma – they were out of wine! Mary merely mentioned it to her Son; He brushed her off, saying, in effect, so what? Nonetheless, Jesus changed water into fine wine. And fine it was; the in-laws noted that most hosts serve the best vintage first and the lesser vintages after the guests had been drinking awhile. With the help of Mary and Jesus, the newly weds served the best last. We may have to go through a few struggles like running out of wine but if we go to Mary, she will intercede with her Son to help us through any dilemma. St. Katharine noted: “If God the Father deemed Mary holy enough to Mother His only Son, who is there who may not confide ourselves to her – we are her children.”

         We have recently celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. St. Katharine noted that the Heart of God was “full of pity and mercy,” an “ocean of mercy.” In traveling to Rome to get the Constitutions approved, St. Katharine would have spent days and weeks surrounded by only the ocean. But she knew that God was always with her, on land or on an “ocean of mercy.”

         May we grow to feel the presence of Jesus and Mary around us at all times.

         In May we also celebrate Memorial Day, remembering all the deceased members of our military. St. Katharine could hear the rumble of troop trains, traveling on the tracks just beyond the Motherhouse. She prayed for the soldiers and their chaplains. We can also pray for members of our armed forces and their chaplains, living and dead, each day.

         Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., ASBS
April 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

Easter

Saint Katharine reflected that “The Sabbath Day had now begun, a day of quiet mourning and hope – the dusk of Good Friday and the dawn of Easter Sunday seem to blend together.”

Saint Katharine also noted that the Eucharist was the continuation of the Incarnation and reproduction of Jesus’ Passion and death. During the Last Supper, Jesus transformed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. Did the Apostles realize this during the Last Supper? After the Resurrection, the Apostles came to realize the depth and breadth and meanings of Jesus’ teachings.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday were the reasons why Jesus was born. He was born to live to teach us and to die to atone for our sins; He was born to rise from the dead to provide us the way to rise to eternal life and glory.

During the Way of the Cross, Mary met her Son, bloodied and exhausted. Her concern is reflected in that of parents today who are concerned about the welfare of their children.

Veronica wiped the face of Jesus. Under normal circumstances, this would have seemed a normal act. Now, it was an act that showed the pained humanity of Jesus and the normal, human concern of one person for another.

What did Simon of Cyrene think when the soldiers pulled him onto the path to help carry the cross of a condemned criminal? He and his son had just finished a hard day’s work and now he was forced to be associated with a dirty, bloody criminal. What did Simon of Cyrene think on Easter Sunday? Did he realize that he had helped God during a difficult time? Do we realize that we may be helping angels in disguise when we do another person a kind favor?

This Easter, may our appreciation deepen of what Jesus has done for us and the graces available to us daily. May our love for God and one another grow daily, blossoming into the person God wants us to be. May we appreciate the love God has for us, individually and personally.

May you have a blessed and joyful Easter!

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., ASBS

Called to be Peacemakers

In February we remembered Saint Katharine’s profession of her first vows as member and foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. In March we remember Saint Katharine’s feast day, the anniversary of the end of her earthly life, March 3, 1955. We also remember the feast of Saint Joseph, March 19.

St. Joseph was an important figure for St. Katharine. As the protector of the Holy Family on earth, he did not say much; his actions spoke louder than words. At the word of an angel, St. Joseph did God’s bidding, taking the Holy Family to safety. He also oversaw Jesus’ growth in faith and in his responsibilities as a member of the Holy Family. We can go to St. Joseph in our concerns in our family life. Do our actions speak louder than words? What do our actions and our words say?

Do we ever listen for a message from God or God’s messengers? A message could come from spiritual reading or while listening to a homily. St. Katharine hoped:

         “O most holy and most adorable Spirit of Jesus let me hear Your sweet voice. O Divine Spirit, I wish to be before Thee as a light feather, so that your Breath may carry me where You will.”

Do we stop to consider if God has sent us a message lately? He may be reassuring us that we are headed in the right direction or advising us to pursue a slightly different path or practice.

St. Katharine urged the Sisters to fast from unkind thoughts. Pope Leo XIV recently echoed this thought when he urged us to abstain from “words that offend and hurt our neighbor.” Pope Leo also suggested that we “cultivate kindness and respect in our families, among our friends, at work, on social media …. In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.” May our Lenten practices help to develop peace and harmony within ourselves and our communities, to help us to be peacemakers wherever we go.

May this Lent be a time of uplifting prayer and meditation, to refresh us and strengthen us to follow where the Spirit blows us.

 

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., ASBS

February 24, 2026

Blog January 2026 Serving God

During January of 1891, Katharine Drexel was preparing for her first profession, when she would dedicate herself to serving God and God’s African American and Native American people.

As a younger woman, she had reflected on an inscription at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, in Philadelphia: "Going forth, teach ye all nations, baptizing them" "And that wonderful promise - think of it!  Behold, I am with you all days … even to the end of the world. Think of it …think what it means."

Even if we feel alone or isolated, we are not alone. We have God present with us always and we have family or friends from church who are our companions on our journey through life.

Saint Katharine had been in a thirty-day retreat prior to her first profession. We don’t always have a month to set aside for prayer but we can spend a few minutes in prayer. Pope Leo XIV announced a Jubilee Year of St. Francis. Mother Katharine had requested and received permission to include the Franciscan cord as part of the original habit of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. We might try to say St. Francis’ Peace Prayer occasionally this year.

Heaven knows we need more vocations like Mother Katharine’s but that may not be our calling. Saint Katharine noted that: “Many people do not have a vocation for the religious life as we have, but they can do a great deal by publishing what God has done for them.”

“Publishing” can include acting in a manner consistent with the Lord’s love for each person. Something as small as a smile or a phone call can lift a person’s spirits tremendously and, without knowing it, let them see the love of God through you. Saint Katharine wrote: “Every virtue we see in others is really the Beauty of God shining forth in them.” This can also apply to the virtues we practice; others can see the Beauty of God shining forth in us.

Lent is approaching. “Lente” in music means to go slowly. We can go slowly in Lent by trying to do one little extra thing each day – one extra prayer, phone call, or anything that fits our life style. Saint Katharine knew that the Sisters were busy during the day, teaching, visiting the homes of their students, and doing ordinary household prayers and chores. She once urged the Sisters to avoid adding rigid fasts or penances but to undertake to “Fast interiorly. To Fast from uncharitable thoughts and words” or from unkind or ungentle words. If unkind thoughts spring up, we could try to say a quick prayer for that person or situation.

As we approach Lent and Easter, may we benefit from the graces we can obtain during these days. May we re-commit to our own vocations, to boost the Beauty of God so that God shines ever more brightly through us.

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., A.S.B.S.