Beautiful Soul of the Americas
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Pray for UsAfter her death she was called the Lily of the Mohawks, and just like the bloom of the lily her life was short, but represents peace.
On July 14th we celebrate the feast day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha the first Native North American saint.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha was an Algonquin-Mohawk born in 1656 in Auriesville (formerly Ossernenon), New York. Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother, Togakouita, a Catholic Algonquin woman. At the age of four, St. Kateri was orphaned. The family all contracted smallpox, she was the only one who survived. She was scarred all over her face and lost some of her vision.
Her paternal aunt took her in and raised her in the Mohawk village of Caughnawaga, which means At the Wild Water. The site in Fonda, New York, where she spent most of her life was excavated around 1957 by volunteers and Conventual Franciscans and volunteers. The first shrine to her was erected near the grounds in 1980 (www.katerishrine.com).
Kateri’s deep scars on her face left her embarrassed and relentlessly teased, so she often veiled her face. She was named Tekakwitha which in Mohawk means, “bumps into things,” because of her poor vision. As a young girl and teen, she adamantly refused marriage, which was unthinkable. She wanted to dedicate herself to the faith of her mother.
Although her relatives did not approve, they allowed her as a teenager to study the Catholic religion with Jesuit missionaries. By the age of 20 she was baptized Catholic. The family shunned her, so she left her village to live in a Catholic mission 200 miles away near Montreal, Canada.
She spent her life as a loving and nurturing missionary. She loved teaching children prayers and telling them stories about the life of Jesus. She was very empathetic – nursing the sick, colleting items for the needy, and caring for the elderly. She wanted to become a religious sister but was denied.
She became known for extreme fasting and penance. Some friars believe this attributed to the rapid decline of her health.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha died during Holy Week in 1680. She was nearly 24. Witnesses recorded her last words were, “Jesos, konoronkwa,” which means, “Jesus, I love you.” On her death bed her emaciate and severely scarred face became full and smooth as a beautiful healthy child. In addition, a smile came upon her lips.
St. Kateri was beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict.
There is so much more to learn about her life, trials, mission, and devotion to the Blessed Mother and Jesus.
Learn more about her through various Catholic resources like Ignatius Press, Franciscan media, Sadlier, and your favorite Catholic resources in print and online.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us.
