Sunday, the Diocese of Prince Albert and Notre Dame Church in North Battleford hosted a celebration of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha on the first anniversary of her sainthood. Known as Flower of the Algonquins or Lily of the Mohawks, she is considered Canada's first aboriginal saint.
Leading the mass for the celebration was Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie, OMI, originally from North Battleford. Now retired as archbishop of the Keewatin-Le Pas diocese, he said it was good to come home to be among family and friends.
The church was full, upstairs and down, and the archbishop welcomed visitors from the north, mentioning Beauval, Canoe Lake, Loon Lake and others.
"Welcome to all of you," he said. "I am very touched and moved that you've come to celebrate with us today."
The service began with the procession, led by Elders, bringing the statue of Saint Kateri Takakwitha into the church. To the beat of the North Storm Drummers, dancers from Mosquito School Dance Troupe also took part, as did a Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree Honour Guard.
During the service a sacred smudge was performed by William Ratfoot and Mary Kahpeaysewat led the Universal Prayer in Cree.
There were closing hymns by St. Mary School Choir and Fahlyn Baptiste.
The church service was followed by a feast at the Knights of Columbus Hall where, again, the dancers and drummers took part. The feast closed with a round dance.
From the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Known as the "Lily of the Mohawks," Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in Ossernenon (today Auriesville, N.Y.) to a Catholic Algonquin mother and a Mohawk Chief. When she was four years old, her parents and brother died of smallpox. Kateri was also affected by the disease, which left her almost blind and badly scarred her face. She was taken in by her aunts and uncle, who were strongly opposed to Christianity.
When she was 10 years old, her village moved to Caughnawaga (today Fonda, N.Y.). In 1667, her village was visited by the Jesuit missionaries Fathers Fremin, Bruyas and Pierron. From them, she received her first knowledge of Christianity. When Kateri turned 18, Father Jacques de Lamberville arrived to take charge of the mission in her village. Despite his misgivings, her uncle allowed her to be baptized as long as she remained in the village. Following her Baptism, Kateri lived a pious and faith-filled life, spending hours in prayer and fashioning crosses out of twigs. She also refused to marry, believing she was married to God and that no man could take God's place in her heart. Her beliefs were met with ridicule, hostility and threats. Thus, two years after her Baptism, she fled to St. Francis Xavier Mission, a Christian Mohawk village in Kahnawake, Que.
There, she received her first Communion on Christmas Day 1677. She also made a vow of perpetual virginity on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1679. In Kahnawake, Kateri was known for her faith and holiness. She taught prayers to children, cared for the elderly and the sick, and would often attend mass at sunrise and sunset.
Kateri's health deteriorated in the last years of her life. She died of tuberculosis on April 17, 1680, shortly before her 24th birthday, and was buried at St. Francis Xavier Mission. ... Kateri was declared Venerable by Pope Pius XII on Jan. 3, 1943, and beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. On Dec. 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree officially acknowledging another miracle attributed to her intervention. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was canonizedby Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 21, 2012, in Rome. Shebecame "the first native North American to be raised to the glory of the altars."
