Celebration Begins for First Native American to be Sainted

KANSAS CITY STAR

By Roy Gutman

In this Dec. 21, 2011 photo, Phyllis Tessitore of Amsterdam, N.Y., says a prayer in front of a statue of the the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha at the National Kateri Shrine and Indian Museum in Fonda, N.Y.

ITALY---The Roman Catholic Church began final preparations Wednesday for what will be a watershed event in the church’s relationship with Native American cultures, the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Indian who lived in the 17th century, who on Sunday will become the church’s first Native American saint. More than 700 Native Americans, many in full regalia, are expected to take part in the ceremony in St. Peter’s Square honoring the woman who is known as the Lily of the Mohawks. A choir singing an Indian hymn will be among the participants. At a Mass on Monday inside St. Peter’s Basilica, Native Americans will conduct a “smudge” ceremony by burning sage, according to an American church official. [link]