Saint Katharine Drexel Parish

"We, the parishioners of Saint Katharine Drexel Parish, serve Southwest Washington County with a spirit of welcome, compassion and charity.  

We are a community rooted in the Eucharist and nourished by the Sacraments.

We come together to joyfully celebrate our faith in prayer and worship, respecting our spiritual diversity and cultural heritage.

 We are  sent forth from this Eucharistic community, in response to the call of Jesus our  Savior, to reach out to youth, families, elderly, and all those in need in our parish, communities and beyond. In the pioneering spirit of our patroness, we offer support through witness, prayer and good works, and we embrace the challenges and opportunities of what it means to be a Christian in an ever- changing world."

History

     Saint Katharine Drexel Parish was established by the Most Reverend David A. Zubik, Bishop of Pittsburgh on January 8, 2017, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The Reverend Edward Yuhas and the Reverend Paul Grunebach were appointed by Bishop Zubick as the first priests to serve Saint Katharine Drexel Parish.

     Saint Katharine Drexel Parish is a result of a merger between the predecessor parishs of: Ave Maria-Bentleyville, Saint Agnes-Richeyville, Saint Joseph-Roscoe, Saint Oliver Plunkett-Fredericktown-Marianna, and Saint Thomas Aquinas-California.

   
Saint Katharine Drexel

Saint Katharine Drexel is a native of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, born in 1858 and raised in Philadelphia, where she also lived her whole life. She was a religious woman in consecrated life who founded an order dedicated to the education of African and Native Americans. Saint Katharine Drexel served her novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh. 
    She was canonized a saint in the Great Jubilee Year 2000 by Pope Saint John Paul II and Saint Katharine Drexel is the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists.