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.