Archbishop's column

"The faithful are born anew by baptism, strengthened by the Sacrament of Confirmation and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life."

Pope Paul VI 

Katharine Drexel was born in Philadelphia, Pa., just six years after the death of Rose Philippine Duchesne in St. Charles in 1852. St. Katharine's life, including the years immediately preceding her death, mirror that of St. Rose. Both women were tireless missionaries who established schools and who dedicated themselves to the poor, especially minorities. Both women spent the final years of their lives in retirement, dedicating themselves exclusively to the ministry of prayer.

For the past several weeks, I have been writing about women whose courage, perseverance and deep faith helped build the Church in the United States. These American saints were educators, evangelists, pioneer leaders and women of prayer. They were undaunted by illness, physical obstacles, prejudice, poverty or petty jealousy. They discerned God's will in their lives and then refused to let anything get in the way of carrying out the mission entrusted to them by Christ.

I'm writing today about two women from very different backgrounds who ended up being saints -- women who overcame extraordinary obstacles and accomplished many amazing things. The two saints are Elizabeth Ann Seton, born in 1774 to Protestant parents of high position in New York City, and Frances Xavier Cabrini, born in 1850 in the Lombardy region of Italy, the 13th child of an Italian farm family.

People who shine with the light of Christ are called saints. These are the men and women who have gone before us and who know the way to true happiness and peace. Many of the saints have been officially recognized by the Church through a process that results in the solemn proclamation (canonization) that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace. But during the last 2,000 years, many other holy women and men have given themselves wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ without being declared saints by the Church. These are the saints we celebrate on Nov.

Pope Paul VI taught us that if we want peace, we must work for justice. Blessed John Paul II often said that no peace is possible without forgiveness -- the willingness to let go of ancient grudges and deeply felt hurts. Pope Benedict XVI teaches that if we want peace, we must first cultivate a profound respect for all God's creation. To this list of important reflections on "the way to peace," I would add my own belief, which came to me in prayer, that we cannot have true and lasting peace unless we're willing to pray for it.