Katherine E. Price was an American philanthropist and patroness of various Catholic institutions. In 1936 by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

granted her the rank of papal countess.

Biography

Price was the wife of Lucian B. Price. After her husband's death, she became an active philanthropist, funding the construction of Catholic churches, schools, and other institutions in the United States. She was a distant cousin of Bishop

Eugene J. McGuinness Eugene Joseph McGuinness (September 6, 1889 – December 27, 1957) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Raleigh (1937–44) and Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa (1948–57). Biography Early life and e ...

. A patroness of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo ( la, Dioecesis Amarillensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in Amarillo, Texas. It was founded on August 3, 1926 out of territory taken from the Diocese of Dallas and the Diocese of San Antonio on the same day ...

, Price donated funds to St. George's College to prevent the school from closing. It was renamed the Price Memorial College in honor of her late husband. Price traveled from her home in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

, to Texas for the dedication ceremony. Price was also responsible for funding the construction of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma Pauls Valley is a city in and the county seat of Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,992 at the 2020 census, a decline of 3.2 percent from the figure of 6,187 in 2010. It was settled by and named for Smith Paul, a North ...

, and St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in

Wake Forest, North Carolina Wake Forest is a town in Franklin, Granville and Wake counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina; located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601. That is ...

. The latter two churches were named after Price's patron saint,

Catherine of Siena Catherine of Siena (Italian: ''Caterina da Siena''; 25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, was a mystic, activist, and author who had a great influence on Italian literature and on the Catholic Church. ...

. In April 1936 Price was elevated into the Nobility of the Holy See and made a papal countess by

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Katherine E 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century Roman Catholics American women philanthropists Catholics from Connecticut Papal countesses Patrons of schools People from Greenwich, Connecticut Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo 20th-century women philanthropists