Monument for Saint Kateri Tekawitha

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

On the University of Saint Mary’s campus, there is a small memorial garden with a monument for Saint Kateri Tekawitha, the first Native American saint. There are multiple monuments with stories of origin scattered around the university campus, the monument for Saint Kateri, however is a bit of a mystery with little to no evidence of how it came to be there. But, that is part of what makes it so interesting, and it often leaves the viewer wanting more information. The significance of placement on the university campus and the simple fact that it is on the campus, allows Saint Kateri’s story to continue to be shared hundreds of years later.

Images

“St. Kateri Teckakwitha is the first Native American to be declared a Saint. Her feast day is July 14. She is the patroness of the environment and ecology as is St. Francis of Assisi.”

People in nature, Microphone, Painting, Art

The monument for Saint Kateri that is on the University of Saint Mary’s campus. It is placed in a memorial garden that anyone in the community can go and see.

This was the original building that was in the place where the monument for Saint Kateri is now placed. The building was torn down in the 1960’s due to poor condition and the cost of the repairs.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

To begin, it is important to look at Saint Kateri and her past as a Native American woman and saint. Saint Kateri was born in 1656 near the city that is now known as Fonda, New York in a Kanienkehaka village, also known as the “Mohawk'' village. She was the daughter of a Kanienkehaka chief and an Algonquin Catholic. An official website dedicated to the conservation of the memory of Saint Kateri states, “Kateri Tekakwitha is popularly known as the patroness saint of Native American and First Nations Peoples, integral ecology, and the environment.” Saint Kateri being a Native American woman would have been constantly exposed to nature and the environment, allowing her to really understand the importance of it.

While Saint Kateri was still a child there was a smallpox outbreak in her village, both her parents and her little brother died, leaving Kateri an orphan who was badly scarred and partially blind. Due to the effects of the disease leaving her partially blind, Kateri’s eyes were sensitive to light, causing her to walk around covering her head with a blanket. Despite the challenges she faced as a child, her early memories of her mother’s Catholic faith left a lasting impression. The Saint Kateri Conservation Center website states, “When Kateri was eighteen years old, Father Jacques de Lamberville, a Jesuit missionary, came to Caughnawaga and established a chapel. Kateri was fascinated by the stories she heard about Jesus Christ. She wanted to learn more about him and to become a Christian. Father de Lamberville asked her uncle to allow Kateri to attend religious instructions. The following Easter of 1676, twenty-year-old Kateri was baptized. Today, Saint Kateri’s Spring, located at the Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site in Fonda, NY, still flows with the sacred water used to baptize Kateri.”

When looking at the history of the University of Saint Mary, it will help to give an idea of why there may be this monument on the campus. In 1858, The Sisters of Charity arrived in Leavenworth and through 1870-1892 they began opening the halls of Saint Mary. The university has very strong Catholic roots which is the first connection to Saint Kateri. The university’s geographical location in Leavenworth is significant because it is surrounded by trees, not easily seen from the road, and on the opposite side of the road closest to the river. This is important because when the Sisters were choosing where to settle in Leavenworth, they did not want to be too close to the river because a part of their mission was to help orphans. They were aware of the land and there was a respect for nature that can also be seen in Saint Kateri’s Native American culture.

When researching to find information regarding the monument for Saint Kateri and why it is on the university’s campus, there was little to no information. The archivist for the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth stated, “It appears the Community did not have a specific devotion to (then) Venerable Kateri Tekakwitha. The causes for canonization for various Saints tended, and to a certain extend still do tend, to rise and fall depending on the groups supporting the cause, financial ability to advance the cause, and things which are happening in society which to which the Saint may hold some significance.” Then going on to say, “The current garden area dedicated to her is actually a successor to a structure which stood roughly between Oak Kiln and what is now the baseball diamond (see attached picture). This structure, used for picnics by Sisters and students, was erected in 1936, and dubbed “Tekakwitha Lodge” To conclude, there is no clear reason why or when the monument was placed on the university campus. However, it is important to note that the significance of Saint Kateri was noticed and is a large reason as to why the monument was placed where it is.

Sources

Our Patron Saint, kateri.org. March 17th 2020. Accessed April 22nd 2021. https://www.kateri.org/our-patron-saint/.

Saint Mary Today & Yesterday, stmary.org. Accessed April 22nd 2021. https://www.stmary.edu/usm-quickfacts.

Crawford, Tonya. Archivist, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. "The Clio Project." March 20th 2020.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://stkt.hwcdsb.ca/ourfaith/patron/

University of Saint Mary Campus.

Archivist, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.