Mystery Solved

Yesterday I went to dinner with my brother, Pat, and his wife, Kathy, and we were discussing the Katharine Drexel mystery. I was saying that the only other link that I could think of was my aunt Adah. This is a picture of my mother and her sister, Adah, taken in 1964.

Adah lived and taught in Winnebago, NE. I remember visiting her often in the summers. Adah taught school in Winnebago. This morning I went to the Winnebago website to look at the history of the school. Well, here is the connection loud and clear. At first I was a bit discouraged because the first article is "Construction to build new convent for Missionary Benedictine Sisters", however, I continued on to the history section of the website.

"Nestled in the rolling hills of the northeast corner of Nebraska, St. Augustine Indian Mission and School has served the Native American people of the Winnebago and Omaha tribes since 1909. The roots reach deep into Catholic missionary history when elders of the Winnebago and Omaha nations contacted a local attorney to write a letter to the Bishop of Omaha, requesting that a school be built for their children. Bishop James O'Connor was uniquely prepared to meet their request." In our research it was Bishop James O'Connor that Katharine Drexel first contacted when she felt she had been called to become a nun. It is he who told her to wait and pray.

"As a priest in Philadelphia, he came to know the family of Katharine Drexel and soon became her spiritual leader. He watched her desire to serve the poor and her vocation grow. He also helped her to write the constitution of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, whose charter included building and staffing schools for Native American children.

In the spring of 1909, Mother Katharine Drexel arrived by train in Winnebago to personally oversee the construction of a church, rectory and dormitory / school for the children. The first classes were held in the fall of 1909. This woman, born into wealth, would use her fortune to help ensure a brighter future for the Native American children she loved.

Through the years, St. Augustine Indian Mission has touched the lives of thousands of Native American children and impacted the lives of their families. Today, St. Katharine Drexel's dream lives on, as the Mission continues to grow in excellence by celebrating and embracing culturally enriching programs and preparing students for a lifetime of inquiry and success. "

I am sorry to use so many quotes, but it is all important and interesting. It is now my thought that Adah probably gave me this prayer card on one of my visits to Winnebago. So, the mystery is probably solved. It is so interesting how the present can connect to the past so vividly. Also, how Kayla happened to pick this particular saint and how St. Katharine is linked to deafness. I find it all so very fascinating. Now, I need to contact my cousin, Tom, Adah's son to let him know what has been going on here in California.

Thank you to all of you who have been sharing this adventure with Kayla and I.