Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

By Father John Walsh, October 24th, 2012

On October 21st, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Kateri Tekakwitha along with six others Maria del Carmen, Pedro Calungsod, Jacques Berthieu, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Mother Marianne Cope, and Anna Shaeffer.  Thousands of natives from all over North America attended the ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.  Hundreds from Kahnawake prayed and rejoiced on that great day in the life of all native peoples.  A Mohawk born in Fonda, New York, she navigated her way to Kahnawake where at the age of twenty-four she died.  
An attack during a smallpox epidemic left her vision impaired.  She worked in the Longhouse (the meeting place of theTraditionals) tidying up and the natives would place objects in her way causing her to stumble, thus her name Tekakwitha “she who stumbles.”  Kateri longed to become a Roman Catholic but the Black Robes (the Jesuits who ran the Mission Church) refused to baptize her on a couple of occasions.  She was completely dedicated to the Cross of Jesus, identifying her own suffering with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross.  She was finally baptized and continued to revere the Cross. 
Kateri’s life was not outstanding in terms of worldly success, she was a spiritual giant.  Her spirituality revolved around her deep appreciation of Jesus’ love for her and she was determined to live a life of holiness in thanksgiving for Jesus’ love.  People knew of her close relationship with Jesus and how she repeatedly turned to prayer to receive the fruits of her labors.   The natives have waited for centuries for Kateri to be called a saint and more recently there was a strong feeling among the Mohawks and among natives throughout North and South America that this generation would see her canonized. 
I spoke with Ron Boyer the day before he left for Rome.  He is the Roman Catholic Permanent Deacon, who serves at St. Francis Xavier Mission (Kateri’s Sanctuary).  He and his wife Sheila have dedicated many years of their lives to promote the cause of Kateri’s canonization and Ron was officially named vice-postulator of her canonization.   Kahnawake is where Kateri is buried and it is the Diocese in which the mission is located, under the leadership of Bishop Lionel Gendron, who will be the recipients of the declaration of her sainthood.   The honor attributed to the Mohawks is now the same honor to be celebrated in the world-wide Roman Catholic Church.   Ron told me “I didn’t believe this day would ever come in my lifetime and somehow all the prayers and efforts on behalf of her canonization have made this a very special day for natives.  As a saint, Kateri is now a saint for all Catholics and that makes me very happy.”  Tom Boushel, a non-native and a person who admires Kateri and the people at Kahnawake told me, “I am very happy about Kateri’s canonization because I see it opening up communication among the different groups of natives and with those outside the reserve as well.”   
Jake Finkbonner was so close to death after flesh-eating bacteria infected him through a cut on his lip that his parents had last rites performed and were discussing donating the 5-year-old's tiny organs.  Jake's 2006 cure from the infection was deemed medically inexplicable by the Vatican, the "miracle" needed to propel a 17th century Native American, Kateri Tekakwitha, on to sainthood. The doctors performed 29 surgeries to save his life and reconstruct his face.  Jake is fully convinced, as is the Catholic Church, that the prayers his family and community offered to God through Kateri's intercession, including the placement of a Kateri relic on Jake's leg, were responsible for his survival.  Jake, now 12 and an avid basketball player and cross-country runner, was present at the canonization.  Many natives hope that the canonization will encourage North American natives to keep to their Christian Catholic faith although there is a continued resentment among some natives that Catholicism was imposed on them by colonial-era missionaries centuries ago.
"I believe everybody has a purpose on this earth," Jake's mother Elsa Finkbonner said this week soon after the family arrived in Rome for the ceremony. "I think this Sunday Jake will define his purpose, and that's to make Kateri a saint."
"It's a really special thing," Jake told The Associated Press, flanked by his parents on a hotel terrace sofa. "We've never been to Rome, and especially meeting the Pope, it was an experience of a lifetime."
Native people believe in Kateri’s miraculous powers to heal those who are sick. No more miracles are expected; it is the development of a strong faith among natives that will take time.  Under Kateri’s mantle she will shelter natives and non-natives and inspire all who call on her to expect her guidance on the road to a renewal of faith, a faith that will be experienced in the good works all Catholics will accomplish to make this world a better world in which to live.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks, pray for us. n