Blessed Kateri was born in 1656 near the town of Auriesville, New York, and the daughter of a Mohawk warrior. Jesuit missionary Father Jacques de Lambertville baptized her on Easter of 1676 at the age of 20. She devoted her life to prayer, penitential practices, and the care of the sick and aged in Caughnawaga near Montreal (where her relics are now enshrined). She incurred the hostility of her tribe because of her faith. She was devoted to the Eucharist, and to Jesus Crucified, and was called the �Lily of the Mohawks.� She died in 1680 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 22, 1980. She is the first Native American to be declared �Blessed.�
I first learned about Blessed Kateri when I began working with the Native American children on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Reading and learning about her life has made me realize that I have a lot in common with her. I continually pray to her asking for her intercession that I might do God�s will, not mine. This is one of the reasons I have taken Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha as my patron saint. Her feast day is July 14 and she is known as the patron of ecology and the environment.
Anyhow, the Sisters celebrated with supper using the "good" dishes at the table I sat at. There were a basket full of cards and flowers, including a lily on the table. It was beautiful. Afterwards, those of us who were not on retreat went to the community and played cards.
Then . . . I was invited by Sister Dorothy and Sister Marlyss to cross the THRESHOLD of the Provincial Administration Team's Private Lounge to watch a movie. I picked out Disney's "Princess Diaries." It was cute.
Throughout the week, Sister Rose Therese and Sister Therese Celine would put roses at my bedroom door. I told the Sisters that I have never received a dozen roses before and I loved it. They were roses from the flowerbeds outside. They were beautiful and I loved watching some of the roses open up. It reminded me of how I'm opening up -- slowly but surely -- to what God is calling me to do for the Glory of His Son, Jesus Christ.
