Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: The Story Behind Santa Fe's Native American Saint

Visitors walking past the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi often stop to admire the graceful bronze statue of a young Indigenous woman holding a cross. She is Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American from what is now the United States and Canada to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.

Known as the "Lily of the Mohawks," Kateri was born in 1656 in a Mohawk village near present-day New York. Her mother was an Algonquin Christian, while her father was a Mohawk chief. When Kateri was just four years old, a smallpox epidemic claimed the lives of her parents and younger brother. She survived, but the disease left scars on her face and weakened her eyesight.

As a young woman, Kateri embraced Christianity after learning from Jesuit missionaries. Baptized at age twenty, she remained devoted to a life of prayer despite opposition from some members of her community. Eventually she left her village and joined a Christian Indigenous settlement near Montreal, where she became known for her compassion, humility, and care for the sick. She died in 1680 at only twenty-four years of age.

For centuries her story was shared among Native Catholic communities across North America. In 1980 Pope John Paul II declared her "Blessed," and in 2012 Pope Benedict XVI canonized her as Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, making her the first Indigenous North American saint. Today her feast day is celebrated on July 14.

The Santa Fe statue has its own local significance. Installed in 2003, it was created by Estella Loretto, a sculptor from Jemez Pueblo, beautifully linking the life of a seventeenth-century Mohawk woman with the vibrant Pueblo communities that continue to shape New Mexico today. After Kateri's canonization in 2012, a commemorative plaque was added beside the statue.

For many visitors, the statue is more than a work of art. It reminds us that Native American history did not end in the distant past. Indigenous cultures remain a living presence throughout New Mexico, and the Cathedral's tribute to Saint Kateri reflects both a story of faith and the enduring contributions of Native peoples to the history and culture of North America.