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.
Pope Francis has declared 2025 the Jubilee Year of Hope.
Hope is one of the three supernatural virtues given to us at our baptism; the others are faith and love. Hope enables us to desire to be united with God and the confidence that we will be given the necessary graces to achieve this union.
Saint Katharine noted that the more we hope in God, the more we trust in God. This does not mean that our path will be smooth, but greater trust in God will help us weather any storms.
How can we grow in Hope? By feeding it! Receiving Holy Communion is food for the spiritual life; it gives the spiritual food of faith, hope, and charity to the soul.
Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention for January 2025 is for “The Right to an Education.”
Many children and adults have limited access to schools and education. We are fortunate to have great access. Both Saint Katharine and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized this need.
In January, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King is remembered in a special way. Dr. King advocated working for social justice in a nonviolent way. Saint Katharine said, “Working for social justice can take many paths.” Whichever path we take, it can help us appreciate the paths others have taken or are taking.
Dr. King (1929 – 1968) was a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He advocated equal justice for all and led nonviolent demonstrations in an effort to secure equal rights for all. Some results of his efforts led to better educational opportunities for African Americans. For Dr. King, “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” St. Katharine worked for social justice as well. At times, quietly in the background and at other times in a highly visible way, as in opening schools. St. Katharine found “no more elevating work than education.” One very visible school is Xavier University in New Orleans. St. Katharine urged the graduates of Xavier and other SBS schools to be “leaders, and leaders who really lead others by example, by word and by deed.” We can all be leaders and evangelizers by example, by word, and by deed.
These were not merely empty words. Xavier University began as a high school with a fifth year of “Normal School” education. Qualified African American teachers then went out to rural Southern regions to conduct the schools. Saint Katharine and the SBS opened. As teacher certification requirements changed, the SBS offered summer institutes for the Normal School graduates to meet those changes.
Just as the SBS provided African American teachers for African American students, the SBS provided Native American teachers for Native American students in the southwest. These schools had students from many cultures – Hopi, Pueblo, Apache, and Navajo. Classes were almost all in an “English as a second language” environment. The students were allowed to speak their Native languages when outside the classroom. Saint Katharine recalled hearing a boy chant in Navajo as he did his chores. Their parents brought the children to the school and stayed a few days to observe the Sisters and the school. Assured that their children were in good hands, the parents left. Native American teachers acted as interpreters while also teaching Native history and skills.
Saint Katharine urged Native American students to become leaders among their people. Alumni returned to help the school and to be examples for the students.
February 12, 2025, will be the anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1891. We pray for all the Sisters, living and gone from us, who tried to make this a better world for all people through education.
This has not been an easy winter. Let us remember in prayer those suffering from natural and man-made disasters such as the fires in California, the hurricanes in the South, and violence in our cities. Let us also pray that our elected officials lead us in truth and mercy.
Stephanie Morris, Ph.D., A.S.B.S.
January 20, 2025
