ST. PAUL – On April 17, the St. Paul Diocese held a Thanksgiving Mass for the canonization of its secondary patron, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, attended by parishioners from across the region.
St. Kateri was born in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon in 1656, according to the narrative of St. Kateri retrieved during the mass. When she was baptized and became a catholic, she was renamed Kateri, the Mohawk form of "Catherine", after St. Catherine of Siena.
She passed away on April 17, 1680.
In the United States, most observe St. Kateri's feast day on July 14, and Canada recognizes her feast day on April 17 – the day she died.
Her canonization process began in 1884, 204 years after her death. In 1980, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II, and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at the Saint Peter’s Basilica in 2012.
Bishop Gary Granken says it is heart-warming for him to see the power of the example of her faith and heroic life.
"She is truly a saint for all of us. Reminding us not merely of the trials of earthly life, but of the grace of the Risen Lord working to bring us to new life," says Franken.
St. Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks, is the first Native American saint canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
