Called to be Saints

 I am Stephanie Morris, formerly the Director of Archives of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and an Associate of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (ASBS). Sister Annette Marie O’Donnell had begun this blog as “Companions on the Journey” but has retired from actively writing. St. Katharine said we are all typewriters in the hands of the Lord; it has been a pleasure and privilege for me to serve as St. Katharine’s typist for many years.

We have just celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the canonization of St. Katharine Drexel on October 1, 2000.  Mother Katharine probably thought: “Oh, holy angels, all this fuss over little me!”  In one of God’s coincidences, Mother Katharine wrote on October 1, 1917, that we are all called to be saints. Few of us, I expect, will be canonized a Saint, but we can all be saintly people.

How do we become saintly people? We can do little, daily things well and have a prayerful attitude. We are constantly in the presence of God; are we mindful of this? Yes, our careful driving has kept us safe on the roads but God and His army of guardian angels helped. St. Katharine wrote: “Open your heart to the God that calls you now.” God is inviting you into a deeper relationship with Him. Open your heart to hear His call.

On November 1, we celebrate All Saints’ Day. All saintly people are honored on that day, including you. All you have to do is to be a saintly person is to do the best you can right where you are, You are rooted somewhere; by prayer and reception of the Eucharist, you can blossom beautifully and become a flower in God’s garden.

On November 2, we celebrate All Souls’ Day. Throughout the month of November, we remember the souls of those who no longer walk the face of the earth. We hope and pray that many are enjoying the Beatific vision of God. We hope and pray that others will soon be able to join the Church Triumphant in Heaven as well.

November is also a time of elections. Please pray that the voters will be informed and that our elected officials will lead us in compassion and justice.

We remember all of our veterans on Veterans’ Day, November 11. We thank them for keeping our nation safe. We pray for those who did not come home and for those who came home injured. We pray for the families of those working for peace and for those who have worked for peace.

Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

 

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

October 2025 Season

 

I am Stephanie Morris, formerly the Director of Archives of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament and an Associate of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (ASBS). Sister Annette Marie O’Donnell had begun this blog as “Companions on the Journey” but has retired from actively writing. St. Katharine said we are all typewriters in the hands of the Lord; it has been a pleasure and privilege for me to serve as St. Katharine’s typist for many years.

We start the month with the 25^th anniversary of St. Katharine’s canonization and the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Therese visited Pope Leo XIII to request permission to enter the Carmelites at fifteen. He said if God wants it, it will happen. This was during the same year when Katharine Drexel asked Pope Leo XIII for missionaries for the United States and he suggested that she become a missionary herself.

October is the beginning of the fall season. Schools are in full swing. Trees are changing colors; the squirrels are gathering and burying nuts and the deer are showing their winter coats. Saint Katharine’s father, Francis A. Drexel, called the beauty of nature “God’s picture gallery.” Do you see the beauty of God’s creation in the changing scenery?

We also celebrate the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. Do you think of your guardian angel? When I merge into traffic, I say “thank you.”  I don’t specify who I am thanking but my guardian angel is my first choice.

We also celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Saint Katharine and Louise Drexel Morrell were secular Franciscans. Saint Katharine requested the privilege of wearing the Franciscan cord with its indulgences. Louise was buried wearing her Franciscan habit.

The month of October is the month of the Holy Rosary. Saint Katharine called the Rosary the “symbol of love.” If you look at all of the mysteries, you see the life of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother’s role in our salvation. May your meditation on each mystery deepen your faith, hope and love.

May appreciating the beauty of God’s creation bring you to a re-creation of your sense of beauty and of God’s graces.

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., ASBS

September 23, 2025