Chapter Twelve: Katherine (Catherine Mary) Drexel and Epilogue Flashcards
broker
one who acts as an intermediary: such as an agent who negotiates contracts of purchase and sale
oratory
a place of prayer
prestigious
having standing in the eyes of people
assuage
to lessen the intensity in the eyes of people
privation
an act or instance of depriving
buckboard
a horse-drawn four-wheeled carriage with a floor made of long, springy boards
chafed
irritate, vex
convalesce
to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness
austerity
the state of being plain and simple
What was the orgin and mission of “The Dorcas”?
The Dorcas refers to a Biblical woman of charity in Chapter 9 of Acts of the Apostles. The Dorcas assisted hundreds who gathered at the Drexel family’s back gate with various social services
Following the death of their father, what charities did the Drexel sisters pour themselves into?
Elizabeth worked on a residential training school for orphans, Emma opened a school for black boys, and Katherine opened a school for black girls.
Why did Fr.James O’Connor discourage Katherine Drexel from entering a cloister?
A vow of poverty would have resulted in her losing her fortune (which she was using to support the Indian missions)
How did Pope Leo XIII respond when Katherine Drexel begged him for missionaries in the West?
He suggested she go
Which order did Katherine Drexel enter to learn to be a sister and foundress?
Sister of Mercy in Pittsburgh
How did Katherine Drexel handle non-white applicants to her order?
-Katherine struggled with this
- Jim Crow laws made it difficult for white sisters and non-white sister to live in the same building
- In one Instance, a member of the Seneca tribe stayed at one of their houses as a “guest” for many years
- They did not welcome their first black postulant until 1952
