Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin—USA Memorial

(Short Version) July 14: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin—USA Memorial 1656–1680 Patron Saint of Canada, Native Americans, ecologists, environment, exiles, orphans, people ridiculed for their piety, and the physically impaired Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012 Near where Saint Isaac Jogues and his companions had been martyred, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was born. Her Mohawk name, Tekakwitha, might mean “she who bumps into things” or “she who puts things into order.” Her mother was a Christian from the Algonquin tribe who had been forced to marry a Mohawk chief after being taken captive. When Tekakwitha was four, smallpox ravaged her village, killing her parents and baby brother. The disease left Tekakwitha’s face scarred and her vision blurred, making it hard to see in sunlight. After her parents’ death, her aunt and uncle adopted her. Tekakwitha embraced her mother’s Catholic faith, even as her aunt and uncle encouraged her to abandon her beliefs. Tekakwitha worked in fields of corn, beans, and squash; picked roots for medicines and dye; gathered firewood; and became proficient in beadworking and basketweaving. In long periods alone in the woods, she practiced her faith, reflecting and praying as best she could. When Tekakwitha was around thirteen, her uncle arranged for her marriage. She refused the engagement, saying, “I have consecrated myself entirely to Jesus, the Son of Mary, and He alone I have chosen as a husband, and He alone will take me for a wife.” When French Jesuits were allowed into the settlement, Tekakwitha told Father Jacques de Lamberville, “My name is Tekakwitha and I wish to become a Christian.” On Easter Sunday, at age twenty, she was baptized, taking the name Catherine, Kateri in Mohawk, after Saint Catherine of Siena. After Kateri’s baptism, she endured ridicule and was refused food when she would not work on Sundays. Children taunted her and threw rocks at her, and she was threatened with torture and death. After a year, Father de Lamberville encouraged Kateri to secretly move 200 miles north to the Mission of Saint Francis Xavier near Montreal. The letter he sent with her to those at the mission said, “Guard well this treasure and you will soon discover the jewel that I have sent you.” After two months of walking, Kateri reached the mission, receiving her First Communion on Christmas Day. Kateri embraced her faith, attending Mass daily and spending her free time on her knees in the chapel. In deep trances, her spirit would be snatched up to Heaven for a time, her countenance becoming lovely to behold. She prayed deeply, inflicted severe penances upon herself, grew in virtue, prayed the rosary that she wore around her neck, memorized and told Bible stories, and was known for her exceptional kindness. She made crosses out of sticks and placed them in the forest as reminders to pray. Her motto was, “Who can tell me what is most pleasing to God that I may do it?” On March 25, 1679, Kateri made a private vow of perpetual virginity, but poor health kept her from fulfilling her dream of founding a religious order for native girls. After her health deteriorated, she died at age twenty-four. Upon her death, her facial scars disappeared, as God made her face as beautiful as her soul. “The saint has died!” spread rapidly from village to village, across New France (Canada) and even to the Royal Court. Many miracles took place, especially for those who prayed at her tomb. Her affectionate nickname, “Lily of the Mohawks,” honors her purity and her short life. Saint Kateri, you fell in love with God at an early age, persevered through difficulties, and remained faithful to Jesus, your Spouse. Please pray that I may discover your purity of heart and radiate my love for God as beautifully as you did. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.