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Born: 1656 in New York

Died: April 17th, 1680 in Kahnawake Canada

Feast Day: July 14th

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Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American saint to be canonized.

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At age 11 (wasn't religious), three Jesuits visited her and she was very impressed by their words.

After their visit, she began to live her life inspired by them and she later became baptized at age 20.

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This means that God will be there to comfort us, and love us unconditionally. This concept is demonstrated in Kateri's life because when she 4 years old, her whole family passed away from an outbreak of smallpox. Even though she didn't have a relationship with God then, it can be thought that he helped her survive and comforted her through the outbreak.

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Her and her people were very connected to nature (fields, forests, rivers, wildlife). They had an extensive knowledge of the natural world, and for thousands of years her and her Indigenous Peoples managed their local land for food, medicine, shelter, and more. This is why she is the patron saint of environment and ecology.

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She spent most of her childhood and young life in Mohawk Valley (now New York) with her turtle clan relatives.

Later, she moved to Kahnawake, Canada (just south of what is currently Montreal) which is now a Jesuit mission village.

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Her nickname became "Lily of the Mohawks" because of her kindness, devotion to the faith, and loving personality. She was a big role model and was very looked up to where she lived.

In Mohawk, it means "she puts things in order".

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This means that God desires a relationship with us. Kateri Tekakwitha demonstrated this in her life because she converted to Catholicism at age 19, because she wanted a close relationship with Him (and she felt a calling from Him to do so).