(1656-1680) The “Lily of the Mohawks” was born to a Christian Algonquin mother and a pagan Mohawk chief father in Auriesville, New York. She was orphaned during a smallpox outbreak that also scarred her face and impaired her vision. Kateri was converted by Jesuit missionaries and was abused and ostracized by her tribe for her faith and for refusing an arranged marriage. She was baptized at 18 and fled through 200 miles of wilderness to a Christian village near Montreal, Quebec, where she died at age 24. She was known for her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and commitment to deep prayer as well as for being a miracle worker.
Kateri had an intense faith from the first moments of learning about Jesus. When her village was declining in morals, she chose life in Christ. She “came to believe that a Power greater than [herself] could restore [her] to sanity” (Step 2).
“Kateri impresses us by the action of grace in her life in spite of the absence of external help and by the courage of her vocation, so unusual in her culture. In her, faith and culture enrich each other! May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are” (Pope Benedict XVI, canonization homily on October 12, 2012).
Reflection by Brad Farmer