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Blessed Kateri Tkakwitha

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UPDATE FROM 9/13: Prints of this are now available in my art shop!

Hi All,
This is version of a in-line-to-be-declared-a-saint, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. If she is declared a saint, that means she will be the very first Native American in the great many out there! Having Native Americans on my Mother's side(Great GrandMother), I would love to see this occur in my lifetime.

Nevertheless, Kateri has a cool story regarding her life...

Born in 1656, she was the daughter of a Mohawk warrior. As a small child, Kateri's mother suffer and died of small pox, which also attacked Kateri, disfiguring her face.(Though icons of her tend to show how she most likely looks now. ;) )
As a teen, she became acquainted with the teachings of Christianity(probably through missionaries, such as kind traveling monks, and so forth). It really spoke to her soul, so following her heart, she converted and was baptized. Naturally, her tribe was less than enthusiastic with her decision, and no doubt felt insulted by her choice-though she never meant to cause division or her own scorn-she was just trying to follow the calling of her soul. The tribe did not see it this way, and so she suffered very much with their redicule. Still, knowing she couldn't simply 'turn off' this great passion she had, to follow this spiritual path, she did not let it go, standing firm in her faith.

Eventually, she traveled to Canada, where the newest Christian Native communities were. Here, she truly got to place her beliefs in action, by spending her time in prayer, and helping to feed and aid the poor and elderly.
She was truly 'hardcore', because even in the most intense snowy weather, she would stand outside the local chapel, and wait, until they would open up at 4am, so she could go inside and pray-staying until the last Mass was said that day.
That may sound odd to some people, but it's important to understand, that much like wanting to spend as much time as possible, doing whatever it is that makes you truly happy(making art,spending time with those you love, creating, doing a favorite hobby, etc), this made her so very happy, she couldn't help but fan the flame of this spiritual passion. And even more, when you love someone, you will go that much further for them, spending lots of time with them, listening to them when they share their thoughts, and so on. In this way, we can get a little window into her excitement and continued love of spending so much time doing things for and with The Lord. Her black-and-white existence, was made full of color, with the inclusion of Him inside it.:rose:

Kateri was plagued with health problems her whole life(maybe the sickness as a child compromised her immune system), and at 24 years of age, she passed away. Her dying words were,'Jesus, I love You!'
To this day, she is taught about and venerated at Shrines in American and Canada, as she spread Catholic and Christian teaching to these areas through her faith.
She is the patroness of ecology and the environment, as much like St. Francis, nature around her was greatly appreciated. She is also known as ,'The Lily of The Mohawks'.


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