Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
The oldest known portrait of Kateri Tekakwitha, painted after her death by Father Chauchetière
Born	1656, Ossernenon, Iroquois Territory (Modern Auriesville, New York
Died	April 17, 1680, Kahnawake, Canada
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church (United States and Canada)
Beatified	June 22, 1980
Major shrine	St. Francis Xavier Church, Kahnawake, Quebec
Feast	July 14 (US)
Attributes	lily, turtle
Patronage	ecology
Saints Portal

Kateri Tekakwitha (pronounced GAH-day-lee Day-GAH-kwee-dah in Mohawk) (1656 – April 17, 1680), the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and a Catholic Algonquin woman, was born in the Mohawk fortress of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York. When she was 4, smallpox swept through Ossernenon, and Tekakwitha was left with unsightly scars and poor eyesight. The outbreak took the lives of her brother and both her parents. She was then adopted by her uncle, who was a chief of the Turtle-clan. As the adopted daughter of the chief, she was courted by many of the warriors looking for her hand in marriage. However, during this time she began taking interest in Christianity, which was taught to her by her mother. painted by Father Chauchetière between 1682-1693. ... Glen is a town located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,222. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ... The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory (formerly called Caughnawaga) is an Indian reserve on the south shore of the St. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Shrine is also used as a conventional translation of the Japanese Jinja. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint symbology was important to people who couldnt read because they can figure out what symbols mean. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... // Events Mehmed Köprülü becomes Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ... This article is about the people known as Mohawk. For other uses, see Mohawk. ... This article is about the Native American tribe. ... Auriesville, New York is a hamlet of Glen, New York. ... Glen is a town located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,222. ... Smallpox (also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera) is a contagious disease unique to humans. ...

In 1666, the Marquis Alexandre De Prouville de Tracy burned down Ossernenon. Kateri's clan then settled on the north side of the Mohawk River, near what is now Fonda, New York. While living here, at the age of 20 years old, Tekakwitha was converted and baptized on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1676 by Father Jacques de Lamberville, a Jesuit. At her baptism, she took the name "Kateri", a Mohawk pronunciation of "Catherine". Unable to understand her zeal, members of the tribe often chastised her, which she took as a testament to her faith. 1666 is often called Annus Mirabilis. ... Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (1603-1670) was an aristocrat statesman and military leader born in France. ... The Mohawk River is a major waterway in north-central New York, United States. ... Fonda is a village located in Montgomery County, New York. ... This article is about the Christian religious act of Baptism. ... Events January 29 - Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia First measurement of the speed of light, by Ole Rømer Bacons Rebellion Russo-Turkish Wars commence. ... Jacques de Lamberville, (1641 – 18 April 1710?), was a Jesuit missionary and the younger brother of Jean de Lamberville, also a missionary. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ...

Because she was persecuted by her Indian kin, which even resulted in threats on her life, she fled to an established community of Native American Christians located in Kahnawake, Canada where she lived a life dedicated to prayer, penitential practices, and care for the sick and aged. In 1679, she took a vow of chastity as in the Catholic expression of Consecrated virginity. A year later, Kateri died at the age of 24. The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory (formerly called Caughnawaga) is an Indian reserve on the south shore of the St. ... Events January 24 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 - The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. ... Allegory of chastity by Hans Memling. ... In the Catholic Church, a consecrated virgin is a woman who has dedicated herself to virginity or perpetual chastity in the service of God. ...

She is called "The Lily of the Mohawks," the "Mohawk Maiden," the "Pure and Tender Lily," and the "Fairest Flower among True Men." ^[1]

Veneration

Statue of Kateri Tekakwitha in front of Cathedral of St. Francis, Santa Fe, New Mexico

According to eyewitness accounts, Kateri's scars vanished at the time of her death revealing a woman of immense beauty. It has been claimed that at her funeral many of the ill who attended were healed on that day.^{[citation needed]} It is also held that she appeared to two different individuals in the weeks following her death.^[2] Download high resolution version (561x850, 112 KB)wikipedia exclusive photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran Santa Fe File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (561x850, 112 KB)wikipedia exclusive photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran Santa Fe File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The process of her canonization began in 1884. She was declared Venerable by Pope Pius XII on January 3, 1943. She was beatified June 22, 1980 by Pope John Paul II, and as such she is properly referred to as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha within the Roman Catholic Church. She is the first Native American to be so honored, and as such she holds a special place of devotion among the Native/Aboriginal Catholics of North America. Devotion to Blessed Kateri is clearly manifest in at least 3 national shrines in the United States alone, including the National Kateri Shrine in Fonda, New York, the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. This year, she has been featured among four other saints (St. Joseph, St. Junipero Serra, and St. Francis of Assisi) in a flagship work by Spanish artisans, behind the altar of Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano Orange County, California: the Grand Retablo, a newly installed work standing over forty feet high.^[3][4] This article is about the process of declaring saints. ... Year 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... A Stained Glass image of Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli in St. ... Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), reigned as the 260th pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, from March 2, 1939 until his death. ... is the 3rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: , Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan PaweÅ‚ II) born   []; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005) reigned as the 264th Pope of... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Fonda is a village located in Montgomery County, New York. ... Glen is a town located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,222. ... // View of the east side of the basilica. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Pond inside Mission San Juan Capistrano Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano was founded on November 1, 1776 by Father Junipero Serra, the seventh mission in the California mission chain. ... Cities in Orange County Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. ...

Her full canonization is currently awaiting a verified miracle. Her feast day in the United States is celebrated on July 14. Kateri was for some time after her death considered an honorary (though unofficial) patroness of Canada, Montreal, and Native Americans. Fifty years after her death a Convent for Native American nuns was opened in Mexico, whose residents pray daily for her canonization.^{[citation needed]} This article is about the process of declaring saints. ...

In literature

Kateri Tekakwitha figures prominently as a character in fiction by Leonard Cohen (Beautiful Losers) and William Vollmann (Fathers and Crows). Leonard Norman Cohen, CC (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. ... A paperback edition of Beautiful Losers Beautiful Losers is a novel by Leonard Cohen. ... William T. Vollmann is an American novelist, journalist, short story writer and essayist. ...

Nancy Shoemaker's article "Kateri Tekakwitha's Tortuous Path to Sainthood," from Negotiators of Change: Historical Perspectives on Native American Women, links Tekakwitha's role with the history of women in North America.

Canonization Prayer

O God, who, among the many marvels of Your Grace in the New World, did cause to blossom on the banks of the Mohawk and the St. Lawrence, the pure and tender Lily, Kateri Tekakwitha, grant, we beseech You, the favor we beg through her intercession, that this Young Lover of Jesus and of His Cross may soon be counted among the Saints of Holy Mother Church, and that our hearts may be enkindled with a stronger desire to imitate her innocence and faith. Through the same Christ Our Lord, Amen.

IMPRIMATUR:

Most Rev. Bernard Hubert, Bishop of Saint Jean de Québec

Most Rev. Howard J. Hubbard, Bishop of Albany, New York

See also

• "Consecrated Life" - Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Hermit
• New Monasticism
• Catherine of Siena after whom Bl. Kateri took her name.

For other uses, see Hermit (disambiguation). ... New Monasticism, or Neomonasticism, is a modern day iteration of a long tradition of Christian monasticism which has recently developed within certain communities associated with Protestant Evangelicalism. ... Saint Catherine of Siena, O.P. (March 25, 1347 - April 29, 1380) was a Tertiary (a lay affiliate) of the Dominican Order, and a scholastic philosopher and theologian. ...

Notes

1. ^ Bunson, Margaret and Stephen, "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks," Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions brochure, pg.1
2. ^ Father Pierre Cholenec's biography of the Kateri Tekakwitha and her details of her apparitions [1]
3. ^ IGNATIN, HEATHER Retablo draws crowds at Mission Basilica Orange County Register, April 19, 2007
4. ^ [www.missionsjc.com/pdf/press/Press2007Retablo.pdf Mission’s Grand Retablo en Route to San Juan Capistrano, Installation expected March 19] Mission San Juan Capistrano press release, Feb. 9, 2007

Pierre Cholonec (June 29, 1641 - October 30, 1723) was a biographer and French missionary among the Canadian Indians. ...

External links

• Biography at the Canadian Dictionary of Biography Online

• Kateri Tekakwitha website
• The Kateri Tekakwitha entry at Catholic-Forum.com's Patron Saint Index
• Kateri's entry at Catholic.org's Saints & Angels Index
• The (U.S.) National Kateri Shrine, in Fonda, New York
• Kateri's Life
• The (U.S.) National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, in Auriesville, New York
• Catholic Conservation Center's Page about Kateri Tekakwitha
• Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Catholic Encyclopedia.