Kateri Tekakwitha Mission Fund: A Guatemalan Dream Named for a North American Saint

The Kateri Tekakwitha Mission Fund provides schooling, professional training, and employment assistance to Indigenous women in Guatemala. Named after the first North American Indigenous saint, the fund was established in 1997 by Kay Sweeney, a PBVM Associate.

Sweeney founded the organization after moving from the United States to Guatemala to assist Tonia Orland, PBVM, with a community for Indigenous women religious. While there, Sweeney began supporting young women who left the religious community after discerning they did not have a vocation. The fund's mission addresses the fact that Indigenous women in Guatemala complete an average of only three years of schooling.

The program has expanded from paying for school to offering professional training, helping with job applications, and providing financial support during apprenticeships. While Sweeney has returned to the United States to continue fundraising and counseling, graduates of the program now manage the fund's administration. The Sisters of Charity, BVM, support the mission.