St. Peter Claver

On March 26, 1889, Archbishop Patrick Ryan wrote to Mother Katharine Drexel to inform her that he had secured a priest to minister to the Black Catholics in Philadelphia.[1] There had been a growing need for a dedicated ministry for some time. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Black Catholics

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Hometown Saint: Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Philadelphia

On March 19, 1889, Katharine Drexel decided to found a new order to advance the cause of Native-American and African-American education. On February 12, 1891, Katharine pronounced her vows as the first member of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. She added one vow to

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Archbishop Ryan

135 years ago on July 8th, 1884, Patrick John Ryan was appointed as the new Archbishop of Philadelphia. Ryan replaced Archbishop Wood who had passed away a year prior. Patrick Ryan was born in Thurles, Ireland on February 20, 1831.[1] His father would pass away when he was nine and

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Herman Joseph Heuser Papers

As a volunteer at the Archives I have been processing the Herman Joseph Heuser papers, a manuscript collection that is part of the American Catholic Historical Society Manuscript Collections. Herman Joseph Heuser (1851-1933) was a Catholic intellectual and prolific writer who influenced scholarly circles and clerical life in the United

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