Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha was a young, brave Iroquois girl. She is called Lily of the Mohawks and Kateri of the Mohawks. Her feast day is July 14th. She is the patron of the environment and ecology.
Tekakwitha was the name given to her when she was born and it means "she puts things in order." Tekakwitha was a member of the Turtle clan of the Iroquois tribe. Her father was a Mohawk warrior and her mother was an Algonquin captive. She was born in Gandahouhague which is now part of New York. Tekakwitha's parents died of small pox when she was very young. Her uncle adopted her when she was 4 years old. Her uncle took good care of her but she was little and weak. She had marks all over her face because of small pox and her eyes were bad but she worked hard by getting water, cooking corn meal, getting firewood, planting corn, hoeing corn and picking corn.
One day Tekakwitha saw strange men with pale skin wearing black robes talking about God and the Gospel. They were Jesuit missionaries. The people called them "black robes." Tekakwitha listened to the "black robes" speak about Jesus and her heart went out to them. Tekakwitha was baptised on Easter 1676 at the age of 20 and her new name after Baptism was Kateri meaning Catherine. Other people made fun of her because she was a Christian. After her Baptism, Kateri felt a great closeness to God and was filled with God's prescence. She was so full of God's Spirit that it was hard for her to think about a husband as well. Her family begged her to get married. She didn't work on Sunday because it was a holy day. Because of this her family wouldn't give her anything to eat. She made a cross out of sticks and always wore a rosary around her neck and sang prayers the Iroquois way. A man tried to kill her and she faced him bravely. She ran away to a Christian village called Caughnawaga meaning the "prayer fort." It is now known as Quebec.
Kateri travelled for days on foot and by canoe to get to the "prayer fort." The following Christmas she received her First Communion. She worked hard even though the others thought she was too weak to work. She was good at beading and left beautiful things for God in the chapel. The Great Spirit taught her many things and she had good advice for others when they needed it. She told stories about Jesus that the "black robes" told her. People prayed around her in Church because they felt close to God when Kateri prayed. Kateri's face changed when she was praying and it became beautiful, as if she were looking at God's face.
In 1979 she began a small convent but gradually, her health grew worse and worse until she couldn't work anymore and had to stay in bed. She died the following year during Holy Week at the age of 24. After her death the scars on her face from small pox disappeared and her face was smooth and fresh as a sign that God wanted others to know He loved Kateri very much. Today ministries in Catholic Churches all over North America have been established because of devotion to Kateri. The Catholic Church declared Kateri venerable in 1943 and she was Beatified in 1980. My aunt is one of the many people working to have her Canonized by the Church. Pilgrimages to her shrines in St. Francis Xavier, Quebec and her birthplace at Auriesville, New York still continue today.
Kateri has taught me that if I work hard and have courage for God I'll be rewarded. I hope I'll go to Heaven and see her.
Prayer to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Dear Kateri,
Please help us be brave for God like you. Bless the environmentalists, the ecologists, the orphans and the sick.
Amen.
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Bio Poem
Kateri
Brave, loyal, loving, generous
Lily of the Mohawks
Cares deeply about Jesus
Who feels happy
Who needs good health
Who gives friendship
Who fears nothing
Who would like to see God
Resident of Gandahouhague
Bibliography
CIN- Kateri Tekakwitha (for children)
http://www.cin.org/katchild.html
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
http://saints.catholic.org/saints/kateritekakwitha.html
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
http://www.pitt.edu/~eflst4/Kateri.html
