KAHNAWAKE, Que. – Hundreds of people in the Montreal-area Mohawk community of Kahnawake roared with applause as they watched Pope Benedict declare Kateri Tekakwitha a saint.
They packed a school in Kahnawake to watch a rebroadcast of this morning’s canonization of Tekakwitha, who is credited with life-saving miracles.
People said Tekakwitha was an inspirational figure because of the way she clung to her faith – one woman from Kamloops, B.C. said she named her child after Tekakwitha.
Tekakwitha, who is also known as “Lily of the Mohawks,” was born in New York state in 1656 before fleeing north of the border to escape opposition to her Christianity.
Her body is entombed in a marble shrine at the St. Francis-Xavier Church in Kahnawake.
Tekakwitha was among the seven saints Pope Benedict added to the roster of Catholic role models.
In a statement, Prime Minister Harper called her canonization “a great honour and joyous occasion for the many North Americans and Aboriginal peoples who cherish her witness of faith and strength of character.”
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