I was a bit puzzled to see that the Roman Catholic church is celebrating Saint Kateri Tekakwitha today. It seemed that only recently this 17th century Mohawk woman who died at the age of 24 was recognized with a feast day. I discovered that she is acknowledged in April here in Canada, and July in the United States.
She was venerated for centuries as a paragon of virtue, a perpetual virgin, which just seems odd to this Protestant. As you may know as a regular reader, I appreciate Kateri Tekakwitha because she has also been claimed as a patron saint of the environment, alongside St. Francis. I love the icon above which portrays her in that role. There is a Saint Kateri Conservation Center in New York State and I encourage you to check out their environmental vision.
Mission
We are a Catholic non-profit conservation organization. Our mission is to promote Catholic faith, integral ecology, and life. We were founded in 2000, during the papacy of Saint John Paul II.
We inspire Catholics and all people of good will to create and restore healthy habitats for people and wildlife at home and in our parishes.
Our programs accomplish the following:
• restore habitats for people, plants, and animals
• conserve biodiversity
• provide healthy food
• protect clean air and water
• conserve energy
• limit climate change
• increase faith and rebuild the Church
• restore our relationships with God, each other, and all of nature.
https://www.kateri.org/
In one piece about her today there is the image of a sculpture of St. Kateri which strangely I've seen a couple of times. It's in the courtyard in front of the cathedral in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I've gone to the Ghost Ranch centre in the high desert north of Santa Fe for courses and retreat, spending time in the capital city on the way. Small world.
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