Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to St. Kateri Tekakwitha
August 30, 2023
Continuing his series of Wednesday catecheses on the theme of “the passion for evangelization: the apostolic zeal of the believer,” Pope Francis devoted his August 30 general audience to St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680).
“In our continuing catechesis on apostolic zeal, we have been reflecting on the spread of the Gospel through the witness of men and women of every time and place,” Pope Francis said, in the words of the Vatican summary of his remarks. “Today we consider Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first native American saint of North America.”
The summary continued:
The daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Algonquin mother, Kateri was scarred by smallpox at an early age; her sufferings drew her to a great love of the cross and a close identification with Christ in his redemptive love for humanity. Persecuted for her faith, she found refuge in a Jesuit mission.
Her deep piety and prayer, marked by devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary and acts of penance, was accompanied by charitable concern for the elderly and the sick, and for the instruction of children in the faith. A year before she died, Kateri sealed her complete dedication to the Lord by taking a solemn vow of perpetual virginity.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha’s example shows us the power of the Gospel to bear rich fruit in a holiness expressed in quiet, everyday actions that nonetheless have the power to transform our world.
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