St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), the “Lily of the Mohawks,” was a young Mohawk and Algonquin woman who embraced the Christian faith despite rejection and danger, and became the first Native American saint. Scarred by smallpox and half-blind, she loved prayer, the Eucharist and the beauty of creation, and died at twenty-four with the words “Jesus, I love you.” She was canonized on October 21, 2012. Her feast is July 14 in the United States and April 17 in Canada. Below are prayers to St. Kateri for Indigenous peoples, for the care of creation, for those who suffer illness or rejection, and for young people, Scripture and her story.
A prayer to St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Written for this page:
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks,
you found Jesus in the beauty of the forests and rivers
and gave him your whole heart.
You remained faithful when your own people mocked and rejected you.
Pray for me, that I may love Jesus above all,
find God in his creation,
and stay faithful in every trial.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for Indigenous peoples
St. Kateri, daughter of the Mohawk and Algonquin peoples,
pray for all Native American, First Nations and Indigenous peoples.
Protect their families, their cultures and their lands,
heal the wounds of injustice,
and help the whole Church to welcome and learn from them. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See also the St. Juan Diego prayer.
A prayer for the care of creation
St. Kateri is honored, with St. Francis of Assisi, as a patron of ecology and the environment.
St. Kateri, you prayed in the woods and set up crosses beside the trees.
Teach us to see God’s glory in creation,
to care for the earth, the waters and all living things,
and to share its gifts justly with all. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands.
A prayer for those who suffer illness or rejection
St. Kateri, smallpox took your family, scarred your face and weakened your eyes,
and many rejected you because of your faith.
Pray for (name), who suffers in body or is excluded by others.
Ask Jesus to heal, to comfort and to show him (her) how precious he (she) is in his sight. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic prayer for healing.
A prayer for young people
St. Kateri, you gave your life to Christ when you were young.
Pray for young people, that they may have the courage to follow Jesus,
to stay pure, and to choose what is good even when others laugh. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
The life of St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, near present-day Auriesville, New York. Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother a Christian Algonquin woman who had been captured and adopted by the Mohawks. When she was about four, smallpox killed her parents and her younger brother, and left her face scarred and her eyesight damaged. She was raised by her uncle.
Drawn to the faith by the Jesuit missionaries who visited her village, she asked for baptism and was baptized on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1676, at about twenty, taking the name Kateri, the Mohawk form of Catherine, after St. Catherine of Siena. Her refusal to work on Sundays and to marry brought ridicule, threats and accusations from her village. In 1677 she fled about two hundred miles to the Christian mission of St. Francis Xavier at Kahnawake, near Montreal.
There she lived a life of intense prayer, work and penance, attending Mass daily, teaching children their prayers and caring for the sick and elderly. In 1679 she made a private vow of virginity, the first known among her people. Weakened by illness, she died on April 17, 1680, at the age of twenty-four. Witnesses said that within minutes of her death the smallpox scars vanished from her face. She was beatified in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. Her remains rest at Kahnawake.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: July 14 in the United States; April 17 in Canada. A novena can run from July 5 to 13.
- Patron of: Native Americans and First Nations peoples, ecology and the environment, exiles, and people ridiculed for their faith.
- Symbols: a lily, a cross, a rosary, and a turtle (the clan of her father).
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s feast day?
July 14 in the United States and April 17, the day she died, in Canada.
Why is St. Kateri called the Lily of the Mohawks?
Because of the purity and holiness of her life; the lily is a symbol of purity.
What is St. Kateri the patron saint of?
Native Americans, ecology and the environment, exiles and people mocked for their faith.
When was St. Kateri canonized?
On October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI, as the first Native American saint.
More prayers
- Feast of St. Francis
- St. Juan Diego prayer
- St. Catherine of Siena prayer
- St. Francis Xavier prayer
- Prayers to popular saints
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 18:2 (19:1 in modern Bibles), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayers were written for this page.