St Kateri Tekakwitha 1656-1680 |
Understand that one facet of “medicine” held by these indigenous peoples roughly can be viewed as something unusual, extraordinary, out‑of‑place. Kateri, the Mohawk girl who set out to help others despite her scarred face and diminished eyesight, probably attracted quite a bit of attention at the mission. Those who were healthy probably recoiled a bit from her, perhaps in fear that she may still have the disease. Those with prejudices against the Native American people may have mistreated her, may have wondered what of value she might have to offer the mission and those who settled there. Yet, she was most likely a godsend to those people. After all of the smoke cleared, after generations of soldiers and hunters came and went, it was Kateri Tekakwitha who was constantly remembered as the one who gave prayers to the children and relief to the sick and aged. She died on April 17, 1680 at the age of 24. It is said that on her deathbed, her last words were spoken in her native tongue, translating to “Jesus, I love you.” According to eyewitness accounts, Kateri's scars vanished at the time of her death revealing a woman of immense beauty. It has been claimed that at her funeral many of the ill who attended were healed on that day. She was declared Venerable by Pope Pius XII on January 3, 1943. She was later beatified on June 22, 1980 by Pope John Paul II. She was canonized on October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, along with Blessed Marianne Cope, who became the third and fourth American-born saints.
No comments:
Post a Comment