The United States has produced a number of prominent saints that went on to do the will of God. However, there was one that was born on American soil before the concept of becoming an independent nation was even a possibility. That would be Catholicism’s first native American saint from the US region, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks, patron saint of environment and ecology.
At a young age, Tekakwitha’s village was ravaged with smallpox which took her parents and her brother. She was also afflicted with it and though she survived, she was given terrible facial scars that left her partially blind which resulted in her having to touch around to understand surroundings. That is why she was given a name which means “She Moves Things.”
After losing everything, she was raised by her uncle who was a chief in the tribe. She was horribly embarrassed by her facial scar and took to covering her face with a blanket. In spite of that though, she still stayed involved in her village, diligently working where she “helped with the meals, collected berries from the woods, made baskets, did beadwork and strung the wampums.”
Since her uncle was a chief, this put her in contact with three Jesuit missionaries who stayed with him when she was 11. Listening to them, she found comfort in the words of Christ and became interested in Christianity. It was not until she was around twenty though that she was baptized and then at 21 she took her first communion. She then took on the name Kateri, which was the Mohawk version of the name Catherine as she took inspiration from St. Catherine of Siena.
From a young age, she had taken a disinterest in marriage and at the age of 19 had pledged herself to Christ and taken a vow of chastity. This put her at odds with her family which put her decision at odds with her community. As a result, she traveled to a different village with a larger Christian population.
Kateri was known for being particularly pious, dedicating herself to penance, fasting, and prayer. As her life continued though, she became particularly ill and eventually died at the age of 24. However, upon her death, witnesses say her scars disappeared and her face showed radiant beauty.
After her death, various visions of her appeared to different people. Often these included healing after prayers dedicated to her. As a result, she was eventually declared a saint by the Catholic church.
Kateri is a hero because she persevered despite the massive pain she faced. Despite losing her family, she remained dedicated to doing good for those around her and helping those in need. Her conversion is a reminder that in great pain, we often find comfort in the love of Christ. So it is important that we remember her as a role model for overcoming our own pain and what truly doing good looks like.
No comments:
Post a Comment