Ambassador Foglietta, Drexel President Papadakis To Co-host Canonization Celebration Tonight

Business Wire, Sept 30, 2000

Business Editors

ROME--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 2000

In celebration of the Oct. 1 canonization of Blessed Katharine Drexel, Thomas Foglietta, U.S. Ambassador to Italy, and Constantine Papadakis, president of Philadelphia's Drexel University, will co-host a reception tonight, Sept. 30, at the ambassador's Rome residence, the Villa Taverna, Viale Rossini 5, at 7:30 p.m.

Many of the key participants in the canonization, as well as many Philadelphia civic leaders, are scheduled to attend the reception, including:

- Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, archbishop of Philadelphia

- Robert Gutherman and Amy Wall, recipients of the two miracles attributed to
Blessed Katharine

- John R. Drexel IV, a Drexel University trustee and relative of Blessed
Katharine

- Naomi Post, wife of Philadephia Mayor John Street

- Anna Verna, Philadelphia City Council president.

President Papadakis is hosting a delegation of students, faculty, trustees and friends from Drexel University who are in Rome to celebrate the canonization. This delegation will also attend the reception.

Blessed Katharine is the niece of Drexel University founder Anthony J. Drexel. During Blessed Katharine's developmental years, Anthony served as her mentor, financial adviser and, for a brief time, guardian. As the founders of two thriving American universities - Blessed Katharine founded Xavier University - uncle and niece demonstrated their shared belief in the value of education.

Blessed Katharine Drexel fact: In the dozen or so years after the U.S. government withdrew its aid to Catholic Native American schools, Blessed Katharine annually gave about $100,000 for the maintenance of the Catholic Native American missionary schools, while her 12 million fellow Catholics combined gave about $75,000.