Saint Kateri Tekakwitha - BW

Beatified by Pope John Paul II (1980) and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012, St. Kateri (Catherine) Tekakwitha is the first female... more

by Stephen Stookey

Title

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha - BW

Artist

Stephen Stookey

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Beatified by Pope John Paul II (1980) and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012, St. Kateri (Catherine) Tekakwitha is the first female Native American accorded the honor of sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Kateri was born 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon (modern day Auriesville in upstate New York). Her mother, a captured Algonquin, and her father, a Mohawk chief, died of smallpox when Kateri was age four. Kateri contracted the deadly disease and survived. The disease scared her face and impaired her vision. Her poor vision led to the name Tekakwitha--"One who bumps into things." Raised by her uncle, a Mohawk chief, Kateri proved herself a hard worker in the community. Kateri resisted efforts toward an arranged marriage, preferring to serve Christ. At age 19 her family reluctantly allowed her conversion to Christianity. She took the name Catherine (Kateri in Mohawk) in honor of St. Catherine of Siena. Kateri devoted herself to intense prayer, fasting and self-mortification seeking the conversion of her people. She spent the final few years of her life in Canada, ministering to children, the sick and the elderly. She was popularly referred to as "The Lily of the Mohawks." Her health compromised by intense devotional practices, Kateri died in April of 1680, just shy of her 24th birthday. She is buried in present-day Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada. Her intense devotion, compassion and piety proved inspirational to Native American converts to Catholicism, marking her grave and her home village in New York as a popular pilgrimage site. Pilgrims soon connected miracles to the spring where the baptismal water was drawn for Kateri. Today, the National Shrine of St. Kateri Tekakwitha (in present-day Fonda, NY) welcomes pilgrims.

This beautiful wood-carved statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha stands in Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, Arizona. The statue beautifully captures Kateri's sense of compassion and piety.

FAA Featured Image:
Christian Theme Artwork Group
1/8/2016

FAA Featured Image:
Catholic Art Gallery
1/12/2016

Uploaded

January 8th, 2016