Patron saints are a sacred group in the Catholic church! Saints selected as a patron are believed to impart special protection for a certain place, group of people, cause, or event. St. Patrick’s Guild wants to honor the important histories and unique stories of patron saints by featuring one each month. Our featured saint in January is St. Kateri Tekakwitha. We carry Christian jewelry, specifically a patron saint medal, in honor of her.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha was the first Native American to become a saint. She was beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2012. St. Kateri was born in 1656 in what is now the state of New York. She was born to a Mohawk chief. Tekakwitha is the name given to her by her tribe; Kateri was the name she gave herself at baptism in honor of Catherine of Siena. She converted to Catholicism at 19 and lived until her death at age 24 in 1680 in a Jesuit mission in Canada.

A few notable elements of St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s childhood. When she was around four years old, she contracted smallpox, as did her younger and only brother and both of her parents. She was the only one who survived and she was left with scars and vision issues. She was cared for by relatives. At age 13 (and throughout her teen years), according to Mohawk customs, she was pressured to marry, but she refused. While Kateri never became a nun, she never married and remained a virgin.

When Kateri became a nun, many of her people accused her of sorcery, but at least a handful of others in her tribe were converting with the help of French and Jesuit missionaries. Nonetheless, she was subject to derision but never wavered in her faith. She dedicated herself to a life of prayer and penance. She was known to wait on the local chapel steps as early as 4am to be the first inside and she would remain in prayer until the final Mass of the day. When she and other local people headed to the woods for hunting, she would even carve a cross into a tree and ensure there was ample time for prayer. Kateri is also known for her dedication to the sick. Upon her death, people noticed that her smallpox scars disappeared, a miracle that showed God’s immense love for her.

Devotion to Kateri led to the establishment of many Native American ministries in Catholic churches throughout the United States and Canada. If this short post about Kateri has inspired you, consider picking up a book about her life or Christian jewelry that is dedicated to her. Her story and her faith will not disappoint!