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 Papal Trips to Canada: Pope John Paul II 1984 (Scott C81, 1986) and 1987 (Scott C87, 1988) July 14 marks the Feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Sometimes called the "Lily of the Mohawks," she was the first Native American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. To date, Vatican City has not issued a stamp in her honor. However, a new stamp is due for release in 2025, tied to the “Jubilee of Hope” Holy Year and part of a series of four stamps entitled “Witnesses of Hope”.  Kateri Tekakwitha Prayer Card (circa 1900) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon in present-day New York state, her father was the chief of the Mohawk clan, and her mother was a Christian Algonquin who had been taken captive and given to the chief to be his wife. Her birth name of “Tekakwitha” translates to "She who bumps into things." At an early age, her family was wiped out in a smallpox epidemic. Though she survived, Tekakwitha was left with her face disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by an uncle who hated the Jesuit missionaries, or “Blackrobes”, that were converting the indigenous population. However, a peace treaty between the natives and the French protected the Blackrobes and allowed them to live in the region. Tekakwitha took up the Christian teachings of the missionaries and, despite fears of retribution, converted to the faith when she was 19. She was baptized with the name “Kateri” (Catherine) on Easter Sunday. As a result of her conversion, she was treated as a slave and lived in constant danger as her faith and devotion to a holy life created great opposition in her village (she had also refused to marry around this time). She eventually left the village and, following a 200-mile trek, arrived at the Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal. Over the next three years, guided by a priest and an older Iroquois woman, Kateri grew in faith as she gave herself totally to God, immersing herself in long hours of prayer and penance. At age 23, Kateri took a vow of virginity, a difficult decision for a native woman who relied on the support of a man in marriage. During this time, the concept of a woman living a religious life was a foreign concept to Native American women. However, Kateri was inspired, along with two friends, to form a religious community for women following a visit to Montreal. But local priest dissuaded her from following through on the idea, and Kateri decided instead to accept a life of devotion, one which included extreme fasting and prayer, all in the name of converting her people to the way of God. Kateri Tekakwitha died on April 17, 1680 (Holy Thursday). It is said that her face, ravaged by the effects of smallpox and emaciation, changed color and “became like that of a healthy child”, and “the touch of a smile came upon her lips” following her death. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II and was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is the Patron Saint of Indigenous Americans. REFERENCES: |
