In 2012 Kateri Tekakwitha became the first North American Indian to be canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, an event that American Indian Catholics have awaited for generations.
Saint Kateri, known as the patroness of the environment, was born in 1656 near present-day Albany, New York, to an Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father.
Tekakwitha converted to Christianity at age nineteen and took a vow of perpetual virginity.
Her devotees have advocated for her sainthood since her deat.
University Of Arizona Press Indian pilgrims: indigenous journeys of activism and healing with saint kateri tekakwitha, paperback/michelle m. jacob
