Kateri Tekakwitha was the first Native American to become a Saint. This fact alone is a major reason why she stuck out to me. According to catholic.org, Kateri was only canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. It is very sad that it took so long for a native american to be recognized as a saint. Her feast day is July 14. By examining St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s background, devotion to God, why she was different and became a saint, and the connection I have with her, it is clear why she is an admirable Saint that we can all model our lives after.
Kateri was a Mohawk Native American and was born in 1656. She was from what is currently New York, but used to be territory of the Mohawk tribe. Her father was a pagan Iroquois Mohawk Chief and her mother was an Algonquin Christian who converted to Roman Catholicism. Tekakwitha was only four years old when a smallpox outbreak killed her parents and brother. Kateri…show more content… Kateri was very different from the rest of her tribe. She was different because she made a devout vow to God that she would remain a virgin. Even after her relatives kept pushing her to get married, she said “ I have deliberated enough. For a long time my decision on what I will do has been made. I have consecrated myself entirely to Jesus, son of Mary, I have chosen Him for husband and He alone will take me for wife” (catholic.org). This quote shows that Kateri knew that she never wanted to be married because she had already given up her life for God.
I choose St. Kateri Tekakwitha because she had strong faith. I admire that she did not care that her fellow tribe members deeply disliked her for her beliefs. She did not let her tribe tell her what to do. She continued on without even listening to what they were saying because she knew that God would help her. The connection that I have with Kateri is that sometimes I struggle with what people say about me and what I believe in. I want to be more like her by staying strong and not letting other people get to
