In Catholic tradition, patron saints are holy men and women whose lives and intercession are considered especially suited to particular needs, groups, or situations. The Church's practice of invoking saints reflects the doctrine of the Communion of Saints — the belief that the faithful departed remain united with the living in the one Body of Christ and can intercede before God on our behalf.
The designation of a patron saint for "Racial Justice" reflects centuries of Catholic popular devotion and, in many cases, formal proclamations by popes or bishops recognizing a saint's particular connection to this intention through the circumstances of their life, death, or documented miracles.
Formally proclaimed patronage — sourced from canonized saints in the Roman Calendar.
Saint Katharine Drexel is invoked as patron of racial justice. Catherine Mary Drexel was born on November 26, 1858, in Philadelphia to Francis Anthony Drexel, a wealthy banker, and Hannah Langstroth. After her mother's death, she was raised by her father and stepmother, Emma Bouvier Drexel, who instilled in her a sense of stewardship over wealth.On a private audience in Rome in 1887, Pope Leo XIII responded to her appeal for missionaries to serve Black and Native American communities in the United States by inviting her to become a missionary herself. Sources: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20001001_canonization.html.
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