By Nate Tinner-Williams | Black Catholic Messenger

The nation’s first and only Catholic HBCU, XULA was founded in 1925 by St. Katharine Drexel and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

Xavier University of Louisiana will kick off its centennial celebrations this week in New Orleans, beginning with a launch event on campus Friday.

The gathering will begin with a Mass at 10:30am CT in St. Katharine Drexel Chapel, followed by a presentation at the University Center. It will be the first of more than a dozen centennial events throughout the year, centering the school’s legacy as a Catholic HBCU created at the behest of a unique foundress in St. Katharine Drexel.