Tekakwitha became Kateri in honour of St. Catherine of Siena 

Thousands of Canadians are currently united as they pray the 54-day Rosary Novena for Canada. Please consider joining the novena by signing up as a Prayer Partner at www.Canada54.com.

During the second novena (May 7–May 15) of the 54-Day Rosary novena, St. Kateri Tekakwitha was honoured. 

Kateri’s mother was a Catholic Algonquin baptized at Trois Rivieres in Quebec. She was taken captive during an Iroquois raid and carried off to Ossernenon (present-day Auriesville, N.Y.) There she bore Kateri and a son to a Mohawk chief.

Kateri was born in 1656 near Auriesville and was given the Mohawk name Tekakwitha. When she was four years old, her parents and brother died during a smallpox epidemic. Tekakwitha was also affected by the disease, which badly scarred her face and left her almost blind. Her eyes were so pained by strong light that she would shade her face with a blanket for the rest of her life.

She was taken in by her aunts and uncle. When she was 10 years old, her village moved to Caughnawaga (Mohawk for “at the rapids”), the present-day village of Fonda, N.Y. In 1667, Jesuit missionaries visited the village and Kateri received her first knowledge of the Catholic faith. 

Father Jacques de Lamberville arrived to take charge of the mission, and in 1675 Tekakwitha shared with him her desire to be baptized. Father Lamberville taught her catechism and at Easter 1676 baptized her Kateri (Catherine in Mohawk) in honour of St. Catherine of Siena. 

Kateri had resisted several marriages arranged by her relatives. In his Lives of the Saints, Westminster Abbey’s Father Augustine Kalberer, OSB, wrote, “… when at the age of 19 she received instruction and baptism, the Christian faith and gospel virginity answered her deepest longings.” 

Following her baptism, Kateri lived a pious life, spending hours in prayer and fashioning crosses out of twigs. She was the only Christian in her lodge, and her beliefs were met with ridicule, hostility, and threats. 

Father Lamberville urged Kateri to flee to the Jesuit mission of Kahnawake, south of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River, where he said she would have more sweetness of peace in one day than in a year where she was. 

When Kateri escaped, Father Lamberville sent this message: “Catherine Tekakwitha is going to live at (Kahnawake). Will you kindly undertake to direct her? You will soon know what a treasure we have sent you.” 

Kateri arrived at St. Francis Xavier Mission and received her first Communion on Christmas Day 1677. Kateri also made a vow of perpetual virginity on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1679. 

In Kahnawake, Kateri and several women strove to live like the nuns at Montreal. She led a life of penance, taught prayers to children, cared for the elderly and the sick, and would remain several hours in succession in prayer.

Her spiritual director in Kahnawake remembered that Kateri was in church every morning at four o’clock. When he would ask her, “Do you love our Lord?” she would say, “O Father! O Father!” and could say no more. 

Kateri died at age 24 on April 17, 1680. Before she died, she said to her friend, “I will love you in heaven.” Her last words were: “Jesus, I love you.” Kateri was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 21, 2012.

Novena prayer in honour of St. Kateri

Saint Kateri, Lily of the Mohawks, who during your life on earth welcomed the Holy Catholic Faith with devotion and fervor, overcoming physical limitations, brought about by the smallpox epidemic; pray for us. May God heal us of the coronavirus. May he also bring renewal to our First Nations people, providing much needed reconciliation and healing. Amen.

 嘉德莉擁抱天主教信仰                                                                 

加拿大境的54天玫瑰經九日敬禮(www.Canada54.com)的第二個九日敬禮（5月7日至5月15日），特別向聖嘉德莉.迪嘉詠雅致敬。

嘉德莉的母親，是一位在魁北克省三河鎮受洗，皈依了天主教的阿岡奎女子。在一次洛魁人的襲擊時，她被擄到鄂塞涅隆（今天紐約的奧里斯維爾），予莫霍克族酋長生下了嘉德莉和她的弟弟。

嘉德莉出生於1656年；四歲時，父母和弟弟死於天花疫症；而嘉德莉亦因同一疫症使面龐留下疤痕，雙目近乎失明，每當遇到強烈的光線，眼睛會感到十分疼痛，終身要用厚毯阻擋強光。

嘉德莉由姑父母撫養，十歲時，跟隨村落的搬遷，到了卡納瓦加（今天紐約的芳達市）。耶穌會傳教士在1667年抵達該地時，嘉德莉第一次得悉天主教教理。

雅克.蘭伯維爾神父主理傳教教務時，1675年嘉德莉向他表達領洗入教的意願，隨即從他那裡學習要理。翌年的復活節領洗，並取聖嘉琳為主保。

嘉德莉曾拒絕數次婚姻的推薦。奧斯定.加伯勒神父記載道：「最終在十九歲時接受了要理教導及聖洗，基督徒信仰及福音的守貞解答了她最深切的渴望。」

嘉德莉領洗後，過著熱心的信仰生活，用數小時祈禱並用樹枝條簡單地扎成十字架。事實上，在她的生活範圍，嘉德莉是唯一的天主教信徒，因此頻頻面對嘲諷、敵意及威嚇。蘭伯維爾神父遂建議她逃到大急流城的天主教傳教區，告訴她在那裡，一天得到平安的甘飴，比留在這裡一年的平安甘飴更多。

嘉德莉同意神父的提議下出走。蘭伯維爾神父給大急流城的傳教區寫上便條：「嘉琳.嘉德莉會住在大急流城，請你們收留並指導她。你們會很快便知道我給了你們一塊瑰寶。」

1677年的聖誕節，嘉德莉在魁北克省卡納瓦克的聖方濟薩威傳教區初領聖體，並在1679年的聖母領報慶日，發了貞潔願。

在卡納瓦克期間，嘉德莉偕同幾個女子的，過著如滿地可的修女們一樣的生活。她做補贖、教授兒童要理、照顧耆英和生病的人，每天都沉醉在祈禱中達數小時之久。

神師記得嘉德莉每天清晨四時左右，都會來到聖堂。他嘗問她說：「你愛我們的主嗎？」嘉德莉哽咽地回答：「噢，神父 ！噢， 神父 ！」，卻不能再說下去。

1680年4月17日嘉德莉逝世，年僅二十四歲。死前對好友說：「我會在天堂上愛你。」她最後吐說：「耶穌，我愛祢！」2012年10月21日，教宗本篤十六世把嘉德莉宣聖。

九日敬禮敬禮聖嘉德莉的經文「聖嘉德莉、莫霍克族的白合花，你在世時以敬禮及熱誠接受天主聖教的信仰，亦克服天花疫症給你帶來身體的限制，請你為我們祈求。願天主能從新冠肺炎疫症中治癒我們。願祂更新我們地方的第一民族，帶給所需要的修好和治療。亞孟。」