March begins the sixth installment of our Year of Faith. This is where once a month I highlight a saint that has been listed on the USCCB Saints for the Year of Faith. The month of March is dedicated to St Katharine Drexel.
Katharine Drexel was born into a family where the idea that wealth was simply loaned to them and was meant to be shared with everyone.
Upon a family trip to the west, as a young girl, Katharine saw first hand the plight of the American Indian. Those early images is what convinced her for the rest of her life to always strive to alleviate their condition. In the end, thanks to her personal and financial support there were several missions and schools named in her honor.
Later in her life, while visiting Pope Leo XIII, she required more missionaries to staff the Native American missions that she was supporting. To her surprise Pope Leo ask that she also become a missionary. That is exactly what she did. After speaking with Bishop James O’Connor, she dedicated herself to God. She used her inheritance to service the Indians and African-Americans.
Katharine felt compassion for the African-Americans also. She wanted to change racial attitudes and change the substandard way of life. She wanted to educate them so they would not have to continue to do underpaid menial tasks. She wanted them to enjoy the same constitutional rights as ever one else.
While she was alive, she opened over 6o missions and schools. Her crowning achievement was the Xavier University of Louisiana. She founded the predominantly African-American catholic institution in the United States.
Katherine Drexel died on March 3, 1955.
She was beautified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1980.
Today I will be sharing with you Buffalo and Cheese Stuffed Shells.
Buffalo and Cheese Stuffed Shells
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb ground bison
1 large onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg beaten
15-18 giant pasta shells
1 32 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. When hot saute onions and garlic with the bison meat.
In a large bowl, add mozzarella, bread crumbs., parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Add bison mixture. Set aside.
Cook shells according to directions on package. Remove from water when almost tender. Put in a colander pour cold water over shells and drain well. Pour a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Stuff shells with meat mixture.
Arrange shells in single layer in baking dish. Cover with rest of sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes until bubbly.
Peace be with you,
Veronica
