St Vincent de Paul

Beginning on your left is St. Vincent de Paul… 16th century France… very turbulent times. He’s known as a friend of the poor, yes… we have an amazing St. Vincent de Paul chapter here at Newman. But more so, he was a steady formator and educator of young people in his times… and in a University setting himself… he kept ‘em Catholic.

St. Anthony of Padua

One of the patrons of Italy… 13th century Padua… it’s near Venice. Of course, you call on St. Anthony whenever you can’t find what’s lost, yes. He was the most gifted preacher of the Middle Ages… and in the settings of the great Universities of Bologna and Padua… made the faith come alive for the young.

St. Josephine Bakhita

In the middle is found a relatively recent saint… canonized by St. John Paul II in the year 2000… Josephine Bakhita of the Sudan. She was a victim of human trafficking…

Trafficked by her own people in the late 19th century. Eventually she was acquired by an Italian family in Libya… who introduced her to Christ, emancipated her (you’ll note her chains have been broken), made her part of their family, and set her on a path where she discovered her vocation as a religious sister. She died in 1947… and is now patron saint of Sudan.

St. Katherine Mary Drexel

To the right of St. Josephine is another more recent saint… and one of great importance for us in Arizona…. Born into one of the wealthiest banking families in the world… she was the heiress. Her uncle founded Drexel University in Philly, where she was born… she was a first cousin of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

She said good-bye to it all after being awakened to the plight of indigenous American people. The congregation of Sisters founded by Mother Drexel would be educators and formators on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona for more than a century now… well after her death in 1958.

Mary, Queen of Heaven

Next to Mother Drexel is Mary, Queen of Heaven… but you’ll notice she’s wearing the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas. Pope Clement XIII, upon being told of the apparitions of Our Lady on the tilma of St. Juan Diego: God has not done this for any other people. The miracle of this photo from heaven… it’s worth looking into more deeply.