St. Katherine Drexel ( ) Katharine belonged to a wealthy Philadelphia family. She was taught to share the gifts of God with others. She was most interested in caring for those who were given the least: Native Americans and African Americans She founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, set up training courses for catechists and teachers, and built 62 schools and Xavier University. When she died in 1955, at the age of 97, her reputation for holiness was so all pervasive that people in great numbers began visiting her burial place at the motherhouse in Bensalem, PA.She was canonized in Her feast day is March 3

Missionary and saint. The first American citizen to be canonized a saint (1946). Mother Cabrini came to the US in 1889 to help Italian immigrants. She died at Chicago in Together with her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a religious community she had founded in Italy in 1880, Mother Cabrini established a network of educational, health care and social service institutions and programs for Italians across the United States. Her feast day is November 13 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini ( )

St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton ( ) Elizabeth was a widow at the age of 29. She had 5 children to support. She became a Catholic in She started the first Catholic grade school in the U.S. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, wife, mother, widow, convert, and foundress of the Sisters of Charity was canonized on Sept. 14, She is the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized. Her feast day is January 4

St. John Neumann ( ) John Nepomucene Neumann was born March 28, 1811 in village in Bohemia. He completed his studies for the priesthood in While in the seminary, Neumann developed a desire to become a missionary in America. He worked in the New York diocese and in Oct 1840 to join the Redemptorists in Pittsburgh. On Feb. 1, 1852 Neumann was appointed the fourth bishop of Philadelphia. At the age of forty-nine, Neumann collapsed suddenly on a street in Philadelphia and died, apparently of a heart attack, on Jan. 5, He was buried in the Redemptorist church of St. Peter the Apostle in Philadelphia. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI on June 19, His feast day is celebrated on Jan. 5.

St. Martin de Porres Martin was born at Lima, Peru, in His father was a Spanish gentleman and his mother a black freed-woman from Panama. At fifteen, he became a lay brother at the Dominican Friary at Lima and spent his whole life there. He was a barber, and farm laborer. He nursed the sick and helped found orphanages and hospitals for children. He died on November 3, 1639 and was canonized on May 6, His feast day is November 3

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha ( ) Kateri Tekawitha lived in what today is New York State and later Quebec, Canada. She was the daughter of a Mohawk chief, who died when she was four years old during a small pox epidemic. Although she survived the epidemic, she was left with her face permanently disfigured and her vision impaired. She was baptized on Easter, April 5, 1676 and given the name Catherine (Kateri in Iroquois). She was known for her kindness and devotion to prayer. She died Wednesday, April 17th, 1680 at the age of 24. Those who saw her after her death described a beautiful change in her features in that her facial disfigurement disappeared entirely. She became known as a lily among thorns, the Lily of Mohawks, and “The Most Beautiful Flower that ever bloomed for the Indians.” Her feast day is April 17

St. Peter Claver Peter Claver was born in Spain and studied at the University of Barcelona. He became a Jesuit priest and missionary. For 33 years he cared for the African slaves shipped to Cartagena, in what today is the country of Colombia. Because of his work, he became know as “the slave of the black slaves”. He was named a saint in St. Peter Claver’s feast day is September 9

Saint Rose of Lima St. Rose was born in Lima, Peru and was baptized Isabelle de Flores. She was such a beautiful child that the family called her Rose. Rose, when a teenager, devoted her life to Jesus. She followed the example of St. Catherine of Siena. Her Inca grandmother taught her about using herbs for healing the sick. She cared for Lima’s poor. She did penance and made sacrifices throughout her life. She was canonized in St. Rose of Lima’s feast day is August 23

St. Juan Diego Juan Diego was born near what today is Mexico City. He became a Christian when he was 51 years old. He was a weaver, farmer, and laborer. In December of 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan as an Aztec princess. She asked him to be her messenger. On her last visit, she left a beautiful picture of herself on his cloak. She is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her was canonized a Saint of the Church in 2002 by Pope John Paul II St. Juan Diego’s feast day is December 9.

These are but a few of the many holy men and women who are recognized by the Church as Saints of the Americas. Prepared by R. Trainor 6/09