Aware of the lack of Catholic education for young black people in the South during Jim Crow, she planned to establish a high school in New Orleans.

The chosen site had been previously occupied by Southern University on Magazine Street, a black institution which had moved to Baton Rouge after an influx of white neighbors petitioned for its relocation.

[3] Drexel sent the Josephite priest Pierre Oscar LeBeau to survey the property, to avoid public scrutiny and controversy, as her reputation for establishing black schools was well known.

[6] The high school opened on 27 September 1915 as Southern University of New Orleans,[7] later re-named after Francis Xavier (the namesake of Katharine's father).

[3] In May 1916, it was incorporated under the title, "Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People, of Louisiana," according to the laws of the state, and the new name, "Xavier University", was cut into the stone slab above the main entrance.

[11] In 1925, Xavier University of Louisiana came into being when the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was established, with the Josephite priest Edward Brunner as the first president.

The Louisiana Department of Education officially recognized Xavier University as a four-year college on March 19, 1928, with the first degrees awarded that spring.

[4] Recognizing the university's need for a separate identity and room to expand, Drexel bought a tract of undeveloped land for a campus on the corner of Palmetto and Pine Streets in 1929.

Construction of the U-shaped, Gothic Revival-style Main Building, Convent and Library, made from Indiana limestone and now on the National Register of Historic Places, were completed between 1932 and 1937.

He had received permission from University President Sister Mary Josephina to allow the group to occupy space on the third floor of St. Michael's Hall under the condition that the press would not be alerted as to the move.

When Hurricane Katrina struck the New Orleans area in August 2005, Xavier, located in the lower-lying Gert Town section and adjacent to the Washington-Palmetto Canal,[15] suffered damage to almost every structure on campus.

University president Francis organized boats and buses to transport stranded faculty, staff, and students from the campus to safe areas.

[21] The university received the "Katrina Compassion Award" from the United States government Corporation for National and Community Service in 2006, for the efforts of an estimated 60% of its students in rebuilding the neighborhoods damaged by the hurricane.

The school resumed operations as normal on September 13 In July 2020, Xavier received $20 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest single gift in the university's history.

[citation needed] Forty-four faculty members serve as endowed chairs or professors, which provides additional financial support for their research and teaching.

[31] In 1979, the Institute for Black Catholic Studies was founded at XULA by Fr Thaddeus Posey, OFM Cap, with the help of Frs Augustus Taylor; David Benz; Joseph Nearon, SSS; and Sr Jamie Phelps, OP.

[36] The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament remain a presence on campus, providing much-needed staffing and some financial assistance, but today Xavier is governed by a board of trustees.