Pope Benedict XVI has canonized seven new saints and prayed that their intercession may “strengthen and sustain” the Church “in her mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.”
The Pope addressed a crowd of tens of thousands on a sunny, Oct. 21 Mass at St. Peter’s Square, raising seven men and women to the altars. Those included Jacques Berthieu, Pedro Calungsod, Giovanni Battista Piamarta, Marìa Carmen Sallés y Barangueras, Marianne Cope, Kateri Tekakwitha, and Anna Schäffer.
The Filipino delegation in honor of Pedro Calungsod was extraordinarily strong, as was the American contingent, here for the canonization of the first ever native American saint, Kateri Tekakwitha. “On the happy occasion of the canonization today…may the holiness and witness of these saints inspire us to draw closer to the Son of God who, for such great love, came to serve and offer his life for our salvation,” the Pope said.
Two pilgrims of native American descent came on Sunday from Arizona for the canonization of the 17th century saint, Kateri Tekakwitha. Glenn and Shirley Stoner arrived from a Navajo reservation in the U.S. state. Both Catholics, this was their first visit to Rome. “This is our first time, but for what an occasion,” Glenn Stoner told CNA. Known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” St. Kateri converted to Catholicism at age 18 and lived a remarkable life of prayer and penance before her death at age 24. The square outside St. Peter’s Basilica was packed with pilgrims flying flags from the U.S., but those from South America and the Philippines as well.
The canonizations took place during World Mission Sunday and also while the synod of bishops on the new evangelization continues to meet until Oct. 28. During his homily, Pope Benedict called the “coincidence between this ecclesiastical meeting and World Mission Sunday” a “happy one.” Those who evangelize, he added, are “called to bear witness and to proclaim the Christian message, configuring ourselves to Christ and following his very path.”
“This is true both for the mission ad Gentes and for the new evangelization,” he said. Among those canonized Sunday was Marianne Cope, a 19th century Franciscan sister who ministered to Hawaiian lepers.
St. Marianne was born in western Germany in 1838 and entered religious life in Syracuse, New York, in 1862. She served as a teacher and principal in several schools in the state and established two of the first hospitals in the central New York area: St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse.
Attendee Darlene Delacruz, a journalist for the Hawaii Catholic Herald, said she was overwhelmed by the day’s events. In Rome both as a pilgrim and covering the event as a member of the press, she noted the significance of a “second saint having Hawaii ties,” after St. Damien of Molokai. “Father Damien and Mother Marianne worked on a little five mile stretch” on the island, and to see both at different times canonized in Rome with “millions of people honoring them” just shows “what good you can do.” “It’s been amazing,” Delacruz said of the experience, “a whirlwind, but amazing.”
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Saint Kateri, please pray for the Church in the United States
My Buddy, Fr. Andrew John Winchek has produced a beautiful painting “Lilly of the Mowhawks-Turtle Clan and it is available through his “The Art of Spiritual Awakening”, P.O. Box 3005, Spring Hill, FL 34611-3005, 1-352-999-7755. He was Mother Theresa’s Spiritual Advisor and Confessor and was called to give her her last retreat and Confession, he also was Archbishop Khai’s American Director of Missions.
Mention my name and you will get a good laugh!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
When I recently visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, they had a statue that was supposed to represent her in the front of the Cathedral, unfortunately they represented her as a dark skinned Western Indian and not as a fair skinned Eastern Indian.
Fr. Andy Wincheks painting is very close to the real image of her.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
I would love to see a video of the Native Americans dancing in St. Peter’s Square before the ceremony took place. What an amazing day it must have been! My little bit of Indian blood comes from 5 generations ago, and a grandmother from the Canadian Fox tribe that married a Scots grandfather (the one I wrote about earlier who had been impressed by the British to fight in Rev.War) It’s important to remember that Kitiri was an Algonquin, not a Mohawk. The Mohawks were a bloodthirsty bunch, and to be on their wrong side would be an unspeakable ordeal. To keep your sanity and faith under such trials took such incredible strength and purity. Her simplicity and humility makes me feel so unworthy. What a witness to our own age. We have no idea what persecution is, and I can’t believe people say we’re being persecuted now. We need to hear more stories of what true faith is and how believers survived their trials, for if the wrong person wins this election, then we definitely will come to know suffering for our faith, won’t we?
Dana,
“Viva Cristo Rey”!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Having grown up with my French Canadian ancestry, there were two saintly people my mother talked about so many times, and had such beautiful devotion to; The Lily of The Mohawks, and Brother Andre Bessett. I am so happy I lived long enough to see them both canonized.
Since St. Kateri Tekawitha was not a Mowhawk, how did she get the title “Lily of the Mowhawks”?
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
She was adopted by an unloving aunt. Her life was that of a slave, and she never complained and was a faithful servant to Christ until she died of disease and overwork. For the last few years she had been able to live in a settlement where she could go to daily mass. She had had small pox in her youth and it probably took its toll…also, she had been abused and overworked by the Mohawks. She was a wonderful Christian witness to these barbaric people though. I can’t even imagine!
Sorry, I didn’t make that clear, Kenneth. Her Algonquin parents died of small pox when she was four. She had been raised by relatives in the Mohawk tribe (better read a bio. haha been too long since I read about this!) who tried to force her several times into marriage and she wouldn’t do it so they started abusing her and she had escaped with the help of other relatives to that settlement I had mentioned .
St Kateri’s mother was Algonquin, but her father was Mohawk.
Oh yes they announced this at one of the parishes we attend for Mass. Would be neat to learn more about them.
Archbishop Chaput was present as well and he is of Native American descent and the first to be elevated to Bishop in this nation. I think there must have been many more than 2 Native Americans as this article states and even more than the 3, as I noted, Archbishop Chaput’s very visible prominent presence. There were in fact many Native Americans in Rome for this celebration of their 1st Native American saint.
Went to New York Sat. to Monday. Went to Mass in Fonda, the Kateri Shrine and spent time in Auriesville, Shrine of the Martyrs. Very lovely. Spoke to a woman that lives in the area, she said that many of the New Yorkers went to Rome for the canonization. It was very nice to be on the soil of Kateri’s home. I have been there about 5 other times, but my daughter, who took Kateri’s name for her confirmation name had never been there before. Kateri’s body is buried south of Montreal, which I also have visited many years ago. It was a great day, especially for the Native Americans, who now have a Saint they can call their own. Beautiful, along with all the others that were canonized that day. Praise the Lord for all His beauty.