Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
- Feast
- 14 July (United States)
- Patron of
- Indigenous peoples, ecology and those who have lost parents
Kateri was born in 1656 in a Mohawk village in what is now New York, to a Mohawk father and an Algonquin Christian mother. Smallpox killed her parents and brother when she was about four and left her scarred and with weak eyes. She was baptised by a Jesuit in 1676, at about twenty, took the name Kateri, for Catherine, and moved to the mission at Kahnawake near Montreal.
There she lived a life of prayer and penance and made a vow of virginity. She died in 1680 aged twenty-four and was canonised by Benedict XVI in 2012, the first Native American saint. She is called the Lily of the Mohawks, and painters show her in a blanket with a lily or a cross.
She kept her faith when her own people turned against it, and followed it far from home while still young. A patron for anyone who has to stand apart for what they believe, and for children who have lost a parent.
The print of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Questions
When is the feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha?
The feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is kept on 14 July (United States).
What is Saint Kateri Tekakwitha the patron saint of?
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the patron saint of Indigenous peoples, ecology and those who have lost parents.
Is Saint Kateri Tekakwitha a good confirmation saint?
She kept her faith when her own people turned against it, and followed it far from home while still young. A patron for anyone who has to stand apart for what they believe, and for children who have lost a parent.
Is Saint Kateri Tekakwitha the patron saint of people named Kateri?
Yes. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the traditional name saint for anyone called Kateri, and the feast on 14 July (United States) is their name day.
Choosing for a confirmation? See Confirmation gifts. Any two Charcoal Saints are 15% off.
Other patron saints
AgnesAnneAnthony of PaduaAugustine of HippoBenedict of NursiaBernadette SoubirousCarlo AcutisCatherine of SienaCeciliaChristopherClare of AssisiDominicDymphnaFaustina KowalskaFrancis of AssisiFrancis XavierGeorgeGerard MajellaGianna Beretta MollaIgnatius of LoyolaJoan of ArcJohn of the CrossJohn Paul IIJohn the BaptistJosephJosephine BakhitaJuan DiegoJude ThaddeusLucyMartin de PorresMary MagdaleneMaximilian KolbeMichael the ArchangelMonicaNicholasPadre PioPatrickPaulPeregrine LaziosiPeterPier Giorgio FrassatiRita of CasciaSebastianTeresa of ÁvilaTeresa of CalcuttaThérèse of LisieuxThomas AquinasJeromeCatherine of AlexandriaMartin of Tours