Saint Kateri Tekawitha

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, baptised as Catherine Tekakwitha and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks, was an Algonquin-Mohawk woman born in present-day New York state who became known as a Catholic religious lay woman. She was canonized last month, the first Native American Catholic Saint. Eighty thousand attended the ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Pope Benedict declared on recognizing her sainthood, "May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are."

Born: 1656 in Auriesvile;

Died: April 17, 1680 in Kahnawake

A statue of Saint Kateri Tekawitha is placed at the steps of Holy Cross School at San Buenaventura Mission to honor the local Native American Chumash people who helped build and sustain the Mission until the 1840's.

Click here to learn more about Saint Kateri Tekawitha.