If for no other reason Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha became special to me became her feast day is celebrated on my birthday. Then in her honor I named our beautiful apricot, miniature poodle Kateri because I found her on July 14, Kateri's feast day.
Daily I call upon Kateri in love and kindness as I playfully share life with the mother of a litter of puppies all named after saints. Kateri, my pet, has been a joyful part of my life.
The one who waits sainthood seems to have a longer wait now that the Church has turned even further from the American Indian. Kateri died at the age of 24 as a martyer for her faith from a terrible disease.
When she became a Catholic at a young age, her tribe disowned her. Not only her tribe but her immediate family. Modern day converts have had to deal with such happenings, but not in such remote situations as Kateri. She was alone in a white man's world. All she knew is that she loved Jesus, his cross, and the Eucharist. So she chose to suffer for what she believed in and loved. Heaven would be her reward.
Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
O God, Who, among the many marvels of Your Grace in the New World, did cause to blossom on the banks of the Mohawk and of the St. Lawrence, the pure and tender Lily, Kateri Tekekwitha, grant we beseech You, the favor we beg through her intercession; that this Young Lover of Jesus and of His Cross May soon be counted among her Saints by Holy Mother Church, and that our hearts may be enkindled with a stronger desire to imitate her innocence and faith. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Born: Auriesville, New York 1656
Baptized: Ronda, New York 1676
Died: Caughnawaga, P.Q.,Canada. 1680
Declared Venerable by Pope Pius XII, Jan. 3, 1943
Beatified by Pope John PaulII, June 22 1980
