(Image from CatholicSaintMedals.com)
This month, we are focusing on the Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Although Kateri was born in 1656 at Ossernenon, near modern Auriesville in New York, surprisingly, many of her life experiences were similar to our current experiences. However, in spite of, and maybe because of all the challenges of her life, she developed a deep spirituality and became the first Native American woman of North America to be canonized by the Catholic Church.
Kateri's mother, Kahenta
was of the Algonquin Tribe and a Christian. During a raid by some Mohawks, she
was captured and enslaved among Mohawks. However, she was being closely
observed by Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk chief, who was impressed with her
kindness and forbearance in the midst of difficult circumstances. Eventually,
he fell in love with her and chose to marry her. Thus, Kahenta was adopted
into his tribe. Kateri was the first of their children.
Kateri was born into a
world where one group fought against the other and frequently enslaved the
other or subjugated them. At the same time, the French Jesuit missionaries
were attempting to bring the message of Christ and the spirit of love to the
world.
Kateri's mother had
become Christian. However, in her adopting tribe, she was unable to go to
church or have Kateri baptized. Nevertheless, she did share her faith with
little Kateri who was only about four years old when her mother, father, and
baby brother died of the smallpox plague. Kateri also was struck by
smallpox, but she survived. Nevertheless, she was left with a severely
disfigured face, very limited vision, and a weak body.
When her father, the
great Mohawk War Chief, Kenneronkwa died, the village matriarchs chose his
brother Iowerano to replace him. As was the custom in the Tribe, Kateri was
adopted by him and he moved into the Longhouse of his late brother, bringing
his wife and aunt with him. It is believed that he was very kind to Kateri.
While it was proper for
him to raise his late brother's child, it was also a wise political move since he had no children of his own. He probably hoped that she
would marry a fine young warrior and carry on the lineage of his family. His
wife and aunt welcomed her with love.
Kateri proved to be a
great asset to the family with her gentle ways. In spite of her health
issues, Kateri helped the family with gathering wood for fires, cooking
meals, sewing, beadwork, etc.
However, when she showed
attraction to Christianity, brought to the Mohawks by French Jesuits, Kateri’s
uncle did not like this. The family was concerned about her lack of interest in
marriage. After all, that would interfere with their plans to have a son-in-law
who would carry on the lineage of their family. They even tried to trick
Kateri into an arranged marriage when she was seventeen. Nevertheless, Kateri
was alert to the effort and removed herself from the situation.
One day when most of the
women were involved in harvesting the corn crop, Kateri had to stay home
because she had injured her foot. Fr. Jacques Lamberville, a Jesuit
priest, was visiting her Village. When she shared with him her desire to
become a Christian, he agreed to instruct her.
At age nineteen, she was
considered ready to be baptized. On Easter Sunday, April 18,1676, she was
baptized and given the name, “Catherine” after St. Catherine of Siena. (Kateri
is the Mohawk form of Catherine.)
The following was
recorded by Father Cholonec., S.J., who wrote what Kateri said: "I have
deliberated enough. For a long time, my decision on what I will do
has been made. I have consecrated myself entirely to Jesus, Son
of Mary, I have chosen Him for husband and He alone will take me for
a wife."
Once it
was known that Kateri would never marry and provide a family to ensure the
lineage of her uncle’s family, she experienced a lot of persecution. (Today we have many people of integrity who are
being persecuted too, once they are deemed to no longer be useful to advance
the desires of others.) Nevertheless, Kateri, despite her own handicaps and
suffering, spent her life teaching children about God, visiting the elderly and sick, and helping
those in need.
Comments:
Stephanie
Morris, ASBS, Ph.d. Historian, Certified Archivist emerita
St. Kateri suffered
during her lifetime – illness, loss of family, and trials because of her
faith. St. Katharine Drexel understood these trials; she had
suffered illnesses and the loss of loved ones. She and the Sisters
faced opposition in their efforts to work among the African American and Native
American people. St. Katharine told the Sisters: “You are not going to go
through life without having your patience tried.” Even as a young woman, Kate
knew that her Lord said: “Come to Me all ye that suffer and I will refresh
you.” Yes, we can expect difficulties in our lifetime but with the Lord walking
beside us, the Holy Spirit to guide us, and the Blessed Mother to console us, we
can handle all the bumps along the way of our life’s journey.
Pat Chiaffa, ASBS emerita
Thank
you, Sr. Annette, for sharing such interesting details of St. Kateri’s life. I
am particularly touched by her intimate relationship with Jesus. Her refusal to
submit to the expectations of others so that she could stay true to her desire
to pursue a life of prayer and service reminded me of a quote from Matthew
Kelly: “As we mature spiritually, we realize that to want anything other than
the will of God is foolish and futile.” St. Kateri’s decision to follow Christ
is a beautiful example. She would not have felt fulfilled had she chosen to
placate the wishes of her uncle. Kateri most certainly knew that her
decision to embrace Christianity would result in criticism from her family and
tribe. But she was driven by her great love of Jesus.
Father
Richard Rohr wrote a recent article on St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi in
which he stated that they were “not so many prophets by what they said as in
the way that they lived their lives. Their agenda for justice was the most
foundational and undercutting of all others: a very simple lifestyle…plus a
conscious identification with the marginalized of society. In this position,
you do not “do” acts of peace and justice as much as your life is itself peace
and justice. You take your small and sufficient place in the great and grand
scheme of God.” Kateri, like Francis and Clare, who “within their chosen
structural freedom, also found personal, mental, and emotional freedom. They
were free from negativity and ego. Such liberation is full Gospel freedom.”
In
reading your blog, I sense that you have many social justice concerns in your
heart. July is historically a month of celebrating freedom. It appears as
though we have drifted from our proclamations of liberty and justice for
all. Evangelist Alveda King, the niece of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., shared the following sentiments in her Independence Day blog, “Admittedly,
these aspirations for our nation have yet to encompass the rights of all
American people; especially those in the womb, those oppressed by the yoke of
skin color racism, and other human barriers. However, Hope is still
alive. We are not colorblind; we are not separate races. We just need
to learn to see and hear each other.”
You
gave us a glimpse of the world into which Kateri was born and drew “There is
hope that the imperfect union can still become a perfect union; one race, one
blood, one nation under God. As we move forward, we must remember that as the
human race, we are all made in the image of God.”. The message of Christ and
the Spirit of Love was stronger than the injustices of the time for Kateri, and
they continue to be the answer for us today. With a penitent heart, we need to turn
to the Lord, ask for His mercy, compassion, and guidance so we can release the
illusions of separation and alienation that divide us from one another.
With
Christ, change and renewal are possible. The most basic first step toward
reconciliation is to examine what is in our hearts. We may be unaware of
indifference or prejudices that have taken root. Pope Francis cites the global
indifference we as a society have toward our neighbors. We live very distracted
lives. I think we need to pause and intentionally recommit to our
responsibility as disciples. We profess to love Jesus, but we need to live out
our Christ-centered discipleship on the streets. If we aim to open ourselves to
others, love will replace fear and distrust, for perfect love casts out fear (1
John 4:18).
I
read the following prayer on the website: https://www.kateritekakwitha.org/kateri/prayers. and thought it would be a lovely close to
this post.
“Loving
Creator God, we acknowledge your power and presence in the Four Directions of
your vast and beautiful universe. We celebrate Kateri Tekakwitha, "Lily of
the Mohawks", as one of your Son's most faithful followers. Help us to
turn our backs on all evil and walk in her footsteps, sharing our love and
Christian concern with others. Let us reverence, as she did, your mystical
presence in the poor and suffering.” Amen
