Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha (1656 – April 17, 1680) was a Mohawk woman who converted to Catholicism. Committing to live as a virgin, she became known for her devotion to Jesus Christ, diligent work ethic, and dedicated prayers for her fellow Native people. She was canonized in 2012, becoming the first Native American saint. She is known as "the Lily of the Mohawks", "the Protectress of Canada", and "the Genevieve of New France".
Born in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, in present-day New York, she and her family contracted smallpox in an epidemic; she was the only one of the family to survive, but had scarring on her face. She was influenced by French Jesuit missionaries and converted to Catholicism at age 19, taking the baptismal name Catherine (or Kateri).
After taking a vow of perpetual virginity, she left her village, and moved to the Jesuit mission village of Kahnawake, just south of Montreal. There she died five years later, respected for her piety and good works.
Patron saint of environment; ecology; people in exile; Native Americans; orphans; people ridiculed for their piety
In the Martyrology
- April 17 Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, virgin