Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
Encyclopedia
The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament was founded in 1891 by Saint Katharine Drexel
. Originally called the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, the religious order is commonly known today as the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.
, renewed the vigor for missionary work among the "Colored and Indian
races". Archbishop James O'Connor
of Omaha, acting alongside Katharine Drexel
, decided with the approval of Archbishop P. J. Ryan
of Philadelphia, to form a new congregation on behalf of Native Americans
and African Americans.
The first sisters, including foundress Katharine Drexel, entered religious life under the tutelage of the Sisters of Mercy
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. They were also inspired by O'Connor, who served as Drexel's spiritual director until his death. After completing a two-year novitiate to learn the foundations of religious life and upon first profession of vows, these sisters were clothed in the habit of the new congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament of the Indians and Colored People. Mother Katharine Drexel (now Saint Katharine Drexel) was installed as superior. Since then, the sisters have staffed a number of Catholic schools for Native American and African American children, which involved collaboration with the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
, the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians
and other Catholic institutions.
Katharine Drexel
Saint Katharine Drexel, S.B.S., was an American Religious Sister, heiress, philanthropist and educator, later canonized as a Roman Catholic saint.-Life and religious work:...
. Originally called the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, the religious order is commonly known today as the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.
History
The Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884), which at the time was the meeting of all Roman Catholic bishops in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, renewed the vigor for missionary work among the "Colored and Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
races". Archbishop James O'Connor
James O'Connor (archbishop)
James O'Connor, D.D. was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Omaha.Born in Queenstown, Ireland, he went to America at the age of fifteen. He was educated at St. Charles's Seminary, Philadelphia, and in the Propaganda College, Rome where he was ordained a priest in 1848...
of Omaha, acting alongside Katharine Drexel
Katharine Drexel
Saint Katharine Drexel, S.B.S., was an American Religious Sister, heiress, philanthropist and educator, later canonized as a Roman Catholic saint.-Life and religious work:...
, decided with the approval of Archbishop P. J. Ryan
Patrick John Ryan
Patrick John Ryan was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1884 until his death in 1911.-Early life and education:...
of Philadelphia, to form a new congregation on behalf of Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and African Americans.
The first sisters, including foundress Katharine Drexel, entered religious life under the tutelage of the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. They were also inspired by O'Connor, who served as Drexel's spiritual director until his death. After completing a two-year novitiate to learn the foundations of religious life and upon first profession of vows, these sisters were clothed in the habit of the new congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament of the Indians and Colored People. Mother Katharine Drexel (now Saint Katharine Drexel) was installed as superior. Since then, the sisters have staffed a number of Catholic schools for Native American and African American children, which involved collaboration with the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States.-History:...
, the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians
Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians
The Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians has been a U.S. Roman Catholic institution that administers a national annual appeal in support of Catholic mission work.-History:...
and other Catholic institutions.