Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Maiden

Details: 22 June 2012

The canonization ceremony for the first Native American to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church will be held Oct. 21, Mission Sunday. The "One Book, One Diocese" selection for this summer features the saintly young woman to be honored that day in a book entitled "Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Maiden."

This book can be enjoyed by members of the family from the pre-teen years on up. A very accessible story was chosen to allow Catholics of all ages to become familiar with a local girl’s extraordinary rise to holiness in a rather ordinary fashion. The book can actually be read in just a few sittings as it simply illustrates various highlights from the life of Kateri’s mother before doing the same in regard to her saintly daughter. A holy parental influence is made clear as each woman’s tenacity develops into the virtue of courage.

Perhaps the most remarkable quality of Kateri is how unremarkable her actions typically were. The story revolves without fanfare around the life of a young girl who escaped from her anti-Christian tribe to find the freedom to live a life totally devoted to God. She was a product of the selfless and courageous work of missionary Jesuits (North American Martyrs) who literally gave their lives in a heroic effort to convert the ferocious Iroquois Indians. Not surprisingly, many of Kateri’s experiences with the Mohawk tribe mirrored those of the Jesuit missionaries. The purity she retained in trying circumstances earned her the nickname Lily of the Mohawks.

This biography is a bit different from most publications of the life of a saint, but it definitely captures the imagination as it takes the reader to a time and place very unfamiliar to us. The 17th Century was without any of the modern conveniences of our day, and the Native American culture and lifestyle of that era is something few of us can appreciate. This little book opens our eyes to the simplicity of living close to the land and the serenity of living close to the Lord.

What this selection lacks in details about Kateri’s life, it makes up for in enticing the reader to want to learn more about this gentle young saint and to delve deeper into one’s own spiritual life.

Many of the saints themselves were known to have read the writings of and books about saints who preceded them. Our own desire for sainthood can be richly enhanced by a continuous growth in familiarity with the saints of all times and ages. Kateri reached sainthood by the time of her death at the young age of 24, which should provide us with confidence in our own potential, especially considering the abundant spiritual resources at our disposal.

At the very least, reading about Kateri’s trials and challenges will help us to appreciate how generously God has blessed us with Catholic resources of every kind. We bear for life the onus of responsibility to use such gifts wisely and well, so as to be numbered also among the saints of God.