Saint Talk: Saint Kateri, 6 Others Canonized Today

Pope Benedict XVI canonized seven new saints today, including St. Kateri, the young Native American who lived in the 17th Century and witnessed to the Mohawk Indians. St. Kateri was born near present day New York in 1656 and was a small pox survivor. I chose this image of her because the artist accurately depicted her with pox marks on her face due to the small pox she contracted as a child. Some accounts from her death report that the marks disappeared an hour after she died.

Kateri, known as the Lily of the Mohawks, is credited as a patron of ecology and the environment. According to documents written by the Jesuits in the region where she grew up, Kateri was known as a modest and shy girl, devoted to the Eucharist and the Crucifix. Her body is entombed

On December 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged the miracle needed for Blessed Kateri's canonization. The recognized miracle occurred in 2006 when a young boy suffered a flesh-eating bacterium that infected a lip injury he received while playing basketball. His parents asked Blessed Kateri for her intercession for their son's healing. Subsequently, he was inexplicably healed.

Her canonization makes her the first Native American to be canonized.

Here is the actual canonization of St. Kateri and the other six new saints.

If you want to see a more comprehensive discussion about her life, I suggest this video from Salt and Light TV who, tonight, are also premiering a documentary film on St. Kateri: