St. Kateri Tekakwitha: A saint for those persecuted for piety

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American canonized saint, was born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, located near present-day Auriesville, New York. The village previously served as the site where St. Isaac Jogues and his companions were martyred.

The daughter of a Mohawk war chief and a Christian Algonquin woman, Kateri was raised by an aunt and uncle after smallpox killed her parents during her childhood. The disease left her with facial scars and damaged her eyesight. Although she was skilled in cooking, basket weaving, and working with animal skins, she resisted attempts at arranged marriage to remain committed to her faith.