Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Known as the “Lily of the Mohawks”, Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 to a Mohawk chief and a Christian Algonquin woman. When she was four years old, a smallpox outbreak killed many in her village. Her parents and brother died, and Kateri herself was left with a scarred face and permanently darkened vision. She was adopted by her uncle, a powerful Mohawk brave who had a strong dislike for the Christian missionaries. 

As the result of a peace treaty with the French,  the Mohawk allowed Jesuit missionaries into their settlements. When Kateri was about 18, she began instructions in the Catholic faith. She was Baptized on Easter Sunday 1676.

It is written about Kateri that she did everything she could to stay holy in a secular society. Kateri refused to marry, taking a vow of perpetual virginity and living a life of prayer, virtue, sacrifice and penance for the sake of others.

She is known as the Patron Saint of Indigenous Americans. Celebrate her memorial by

• Learning more about her life online here.
• Praying for the indigenous peoples of the Americas
• Going to Eucharistic Adoration to pray for the strength to live a holy life in a secular society.
• Attend Mass at an unfamiliar parish.