Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia
Praised be Jesus and Mary.
Today we celebrate the obligatory memorial of
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha,
the first Native American to be beatified.
She was born in 1656 and orphaned at the age of four
when her parents fell victim to a smallpox epidemic
that left her face disfigured with blemishes
and also damaged her eyesight.
And she was taken care of by her uncle
and was raised as a high-ranking Mohawk maiden.
Her father had been a war chief.
So the family had high hopes of her
marrying some young brave that would help
with the hunting and the fishing
and just...
supporting the family.
But she had no desire for marriage
and this distressed the family quite a bit.
But one day,
three Jesuit missionaries came to stay with them
in their house and she was given the task
to take care of them and provide for their needs.
And she was very edified at their faithfulness
to their prayer life
and their love.
And she was given the recollection.
And she desired to speak to them
but they only stayed three days and they had to leave.
But they had left an impression upon her.
So later, when at the age of 20,
some missionary finally came to the village
and she was baptized.
And on Easter Sunday a year later,
she received her first Holy Communion.
And this brought upon her quite a bit of persecution
from her family.
And she was looked upon as an outcast.
Since she was a little girl, she was looked upon as an outcast.
And she was looked upon as an outcast.
And she was looked upon as a outcast.
She had no desire to marry.
And because of her baptism.
And she eventually fled to Canada.
And because of her baptism.
Where she asked for admission into the convent.
She asked for admission into the convent.
But the nuns from Europe,
you know they,
that was totally alien to them
that a Native American would be a nun.
that a Native American would be a nun.
would be a nun.
they didn't allow her admittance into the convent.
But she still consecrated her virginity to God,
took a vow of chastity,
and lived a holy life with another Indian.
And when she died,
and she was laying in state,
it's that her face actually glowed,
and all the scars, the blemishes from the smallpox epidemic disappeared.
And they were saying, everyone was saying, the saint is dead.
So, today we pray to the Blessed Kateri,
that,
that more women are inspired to dedicate their whole being, their entire self.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!