On July 14th, we celebrate the feast of the “Lily of the Mohawks.” It is also the tenth anniversary of our parish. Our patroness, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, is the first Native American woman to be canonized. Orphaned by a smallpox outbreak, Kateri survived with severe scarring and impaired eyesight. Despite tragedy, she was a devout girl at a young age, often building crosses from sticks in the woods. When she was 18, she began secret instruction in the Catholic faith with French missionaries. Her commitment to Christianity and vow of virginity was misunderstood and ridiculed by her fellow villagers. She escaped to a nearby mission, where she attended daily Mass, taught the children, and cared for the sick and the elderly. Sometimes the greatest misunderstandings can come from those closest to us. Like St. Kateri, God invites us to be faithful to our commitments of faith and to always respond in love.
Let us take a moment to thank our Father in Heaven for the grace that He has given to St. Kateri Parish and its members through this first decade. May He bless us with a new season that is spiritually uplifting for all St. Kateri’s parishioners.
