Feast Days for March
On March 3 we celebrate the feast day of St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) patron saint of philanthropy and racial justice. An American saint, she devoted her life to bringing Jesus to the margins of society – the Native American and African American populations. She was a wealthy heiress from a Philadelphia banking family. While on a family trip in her youth, she witnessed the hardships of Native and African Americans regarding the quality of life, struggles finding work, education, and fair treatment. In 1887 she and her sisters travelled to Rome to meet with Pope Leo XIII to ask for missionaries for the institutions they supported. After the Pope suggested she do the missionary work herself, in 1891 she took her first religious vows with the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh. Then in 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament because of her devotion to the Holy Eucharist and established dozens of missions and schools across 16 states, including Xavier University in New Orleans (the only Catholic, historically Black university in the USA). By the time of her death at 96, her order had grown to 500 sisters and she had given away over $12 million of her fortune. She was canonized in 2000 becoming the first natural-born US citizen declared a saint. In 2025, the Drexel Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which traveled across 10 states, was named in her honor.
“If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them.” -St. Katharine Drexel
On March 4, we celebrate the feast day of St. Casimir, patron saint of Lithuania and Poland. Born into a royal family in the 15th century, he was in line to be king. However, through a life of prayer, he remained committed to his faith and rejected the luxuries of a royal family, opting to sleep on the floor instead of in a lavish bed. He was 25 years old when he died but his piety, humility and faith leave a lasting impact even today through the many celebrations in the Lithuanian capital on his feast day.
On March 7, we celebrate the feast day of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, patron saints of mothers. These two saints were martyrs who lived during the early persecution of the Church: Perpetua, a well-educated noblewoman and Felicity, a slave woman, who became acquainted in prison while awaiting death for being Christians. Felicity, 8 months pregnant at the time of her arrest, gave birth to a daughter in prison just days before her execution. Perpetua was nursing an infant son when she was arrested. Perpetua kept a diary (called Passion of Perpetua and Felicity) of their time in prison together before their martyrdom. It provides a deeply personal account of their finals days and sheds light on the mindset of a martyr. Both women died in the Roman arena, executed by lions or gladiators. This diary, from the early 200s, is one of the oldest surviving first person writings of the Church. In the Eucharistic Prayers I and II said during Sunday Mass, we hear the names of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity among other saint names that link the assembly with the early Church’s sacrifices and embodies the continuation of our faith today that unifies past and present as one. This is why we unite our own daily sacrifices with the sufferings of Jesus and all the saints to exemplify our determined and purposeful Christian faith.
A Prayer for a Lenten Spirit
Be with me this Lent, Jesus, and deepen my spirit.
Let my every sacrifice be underscored with gratitude and humility.
By giving something up,
may I discover anew all I have taken for granted.
In each small effort,
may I recognize my need for your strength and grace.
As I empty myself through fasting,
make me mindful of those for whom
scarcity is an everyday reality.
As I abstain from negativity, self-righteousness,
and arrogance,
replenish me with kindness, understanding,
and good humor.
Be with me this Lent, Jesus, and turn my spirit
towards you.
Amen.
Source: Sadlier Religion
OR a shorter Lenten Prayer:
Dear God of goodness and mercy,
Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with you and live forever in your abundant grace. Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father. Give me the strength to make myself 100% available to you every day as I prepare for Easter. AMEN.
Source: Dynamic Catholic
On March 17 we celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. For most of us, the first things that come to mind are corned beef and cabbage, beer, and wearing green. But did you know that St. Patrick (415 – 493) was born in Britain to wealthy parents but was kidnapped by Irish raiders at age 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave? He was taken from the villa of his father who was a deacon and local official. During the six years of slavery as a herdsman, he turned to his faith for strength. Later, he escaped back to Britain on a ship to reunite with his family. However, he became zealous for his faith during those years of captivity and joined the missionary priests so he could return to Ireland to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result, St. Patrick played a major role in converting Ireland to Christianity.
Did you know the Catholic Church dedicates the month of March to St. Joseph? The Church dedicates each month to a particular devotion and March is dedicated to St. Joseph. This is due primarily because we celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph on March 19. In March, we honor his role as the husband of Blessed Mary and the foster father of Jesus. Catholics are encouraged to reflect on his many virtues—piety, righteousness, purity, and strength—and his significance in our salvation history. During Lent, we meditate on the suffering and sacrifice St. Joseph endured as he lived out God’s will every day in anticipation of Jesus’ inevitable suffering and death. St. Joseph is believed to have died in Nazareth around 18 AD with Blessed Mary and Jesus close to him.
We are encouraged to seek St. Joseph’s intercession by praying to him. Here are two devotional prayers we can recite:
Prayer to St. Joseph, from the 1st century
Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so prompt, so strong,
before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,
and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power,
I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most Loving of Fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms;
I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart.
Press Him in my name and kiss His fine Head for me and
Ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, Patron of departed souls – pray for me. Amen.
Short Consecration to Saint Joseph
Blessed St. Joseph, I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent love of the interior life. After your example, may I perform my actions for the greater Glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and with you. Pray for me, Saint Joseph, that I may experience the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.