Drexel shrine
upgraded by church

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament recently announced that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has granted the designation of "National Shrine" to the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel in Bensalem.
The shrine, at 1663 Bristol Pike, is the seventh National Catholic Shrine in Pennsylvania. About 20,000 pilgrims visit the site each year.
Mother Drexel built the shrine in 1893, two years after founding the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. The sisters have faithfully continued her work for Eucharistic social justice, though her financial resources have long been depleted. The order has schools and missions in 11 states and in Haiti. St. Katharine, who died in 1955 at age 96, spent the final 20 years of her life at the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament mother house and is entombed under the main altar of St. Elizabeth Chapel.
Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of the Philadelphia archdiocese, celebrated Mass on Monday at the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul to observe the local saint’s feast day.
"It was with great pleasure that I received the news that the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel has been elevated in status to a National Shrine," Cardinal Rigali said in a statement issued by the archdiocese.
"This designation is especially gratifying because Mother Katharine’s love of the Holy Eucharist and care for God’s poor and oppressed was formed in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I pray that the honor bestowed upon the shrine will open opportunities for others to hear God’s Word and reflect upon St. Katharine’s message of love and service to all."
For more information about the life of St. Katharine Drexel and the National Shrine, visit the Web site at www.katharinedrexel.org