Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. The Lily of the Mohawks ( )

Transcription

1 Saint Kateri Tekakwitha The Lily of the Mohawks ( ) Catechetical Activity Ages 6-8 1

2 Saint Kateri Tekakwitha ( ) Materials Needed: Biography of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (short version), work sheets, crayons, colouring pencils, prayer sheet. Catechist Preparation: 1. Read the short biography of Kateri Tekakwitha. 2. Copy the work sheet 1 per child. 3. Think of a time when you have felt compelled to do something, against popular opinion. Be prepared to share this experience with the children and explain why you carried through with your actions. Gathering: 1. Ask the children to close their eyes and sit quietly for a moment. 2. Ask the children to think of a time when they felt compelled to do something; they felt that they had to do something when nobody else would, or when nobody else wanted to (for example, sticking up to a bully, helping someone in need, sharing something with a friend, etc.). 3. Ask them to think about why they felt compelled to do that? How did they feel when they followed through on their actions? Were they glad they did? Did they feel happy afterwards? 4. Share with the children your example of when you felt compelled to do something even though it was against popular opinion. In turn, ask for volunteers to share their example and discuss with the children. Listening: 1. Tell the story of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (use short version on pages 4-5). 2. Place emphasis on qualities such as devotion to prayer and determination. 2

3 3. Explain that these qualities in Kateri Tekakwitha are what made her a saint. Despite the wishes of her family, Kateri refused to marry and instead devoted many years to learning and living the Christian faith, praying, and hoping that others would learn the good news of God s love. Kateri did not give in to the pressures from her family and was devoted to her faith. 4. Tell the children that Kateri Tekakwitha was also known as Lily of the Mohawks. Explain to them that a lily symbolizes chastity, virtue and devotion; all of which were qualities of Kateri. In addition, her father was a Mohawk chief, making her known as the Lily of the Mohawks. Doing: 1. Remind children that when Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was helping with the winter hunt, she would set up a prayer space by hanging a cross in a tree near a creek. Ask the children to brainstorm special items they would want to include in their personal prayer space. 2. Have the children use the worksheet to draw what their prayer space would look like (page 6). 3. In small groups, have the children share their drawing and explain what they included in their prayer space. Going: 1. Bring the session to a close with a prayer to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (page 7). 3

4 Her Life Saint Kateri Tekakwitha ( ) Feast Day: April 17 Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon (today Auriesville, New York). Her mother was a member of the Algonquin First Nation and her father was an Iroquois chief. When Kateri was four, a smallpox epidemic killed her mother, father and younger brother, leaving Kateri with impaired vision and a scarred complexion. An uncle and some aunts raised her. Her eyes were hyper-sensitive to light, so people named her Tekakwitha, meaning she who gropes her way or she who bumps into things. In 1666, French troops were sent out to subdue the Mohawks, and with the people of her village Kateri spent a winter hiding out in the forest. At the nearby Saint Pierre de Gandaouagué Mission she met Jesuit missionaries; she was struck by their friendliness and their piety. Back at Ossernenon, she kept active with domestic chores and was good at beadwork, making moccasins and shirts and collars. She also went into the fields to help pick fruit and vegetables. To the dismay of her aunts and uncle, she refused the ususal life path of accepting an offer of marriage. When Father Jacques de Lamberville, S./J., visited her area in 1675, she asked to be baptized. He taught her the faith for six months and baptized her on Easter Sunday, For more than a year, her family made her life difficult and sometimes deprived her of food because she refused to work on Sundays. They threw pebbles at her as she made her way to the chapel to pray. Father Lamberville encouraged her to go to live in a First Nations Christian community, the Saint-François-Xavier Mission. Here she lived with other Christians. She made her first communion at Christmas in She would spend hours in prayer in the chapel. During the winter hunt, she continued to pray while she helped with the work. She made a prayer space by hanging a cross in a tree near a creek. Her relatives continued pressuring her to get married, but she dreamt of founding a First Nations community of consecrated life. Though still young, Kateri suffered from migraines, fever and stomach troubles. She died on April 17, 1680, at the age of 24. She was beatified by Pope (now Saint) John Paul II in 1980 and canonized on October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. 4

5 Her Spirituality Kateri was a hard worker, leading a quiet life because of her limited vision, but helping her community with the harvest, wood-gathering, sewing, hunting, and cooking. She practically lived in the chapel. She would arrive at four in the morning and attend the Mass at dawn and another at sunset. She prayed with great fervour and developed an inner life in which love surged forth and sought to find expression with others. She prayed that her people would welcome the love of God that infused her life, and that they would come to know God the way she did. She is also known as Lily of the Mohawks. 5

6 Some special items I included in my prayer space are: 6

7 Prayer to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha St. Kateri, Star of Native People and Bright Light for all! We thank God for your heroic courage, constant perseverance and deep love of the Cross. Pray for us that our love for Christ may deepen. And may we imitate you in following God's will even when difficulties arise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen Image: Pantheon / Superstock 7