St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri Tekakwitha was an Indigenous Christian woman whose short life centred on prayer and fidelity to her faith.
- Life
- 1656–1680
- Canonised
- 2012
Life and vocation
Born to a Mohawk father and an Algonquin Christian mother, she lost her parents during a smallpox epidemic. She was baptised in 1676 and later moved to a Christian community near present-day Montreal.
Faith in action
She combined daily work with prayer and chose a life of consecrated virginity. Her story belongs to the histories of Indigenous peoples and Catholic communities on both sides of today’s United States–Canada border.
For readers in England
This English-language edition serves readers in the United Kingdom; its regional selection and calendar specifically follow England. John Henry Newman and Thomas More provide starting points for exploring that history.
This biography is not a liturgical reading. For the observances in your area, consult the local calendar and your diocese.
Explore the local liturgical calendar →Daily Catholic Quotes →Sources and further reading
Sources checked:
Image credit
Father Claude Chauchetière, S.J. · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain. Images resized for this page; social previews are cropped and include text.
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