Saint Tekakwitha Plaque and Statue

Saint Tekakwitha Plaque and Statue. . , Saint Kateri Tekakwitha known as Lily of the Mohawks by her people, she was the daughter of Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk Chief, and Tagaskouita, an Algonquin was the first Native American Saint in the Catholic Church. Under the Pontificate John Paul II in 1980 who called Kateri Tekakwitha God's "bountiful gift" to His Church was beatified and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 October 2012. This statue was blessed by Most Rev. Ronald P. Herzog, Bishop of Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana on October 31, 2012 in the Thanksgiving Mass assisted by Rev. Antony, the Pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church., The final ceremony and blessing of the Grotto were celebrated by Father John Purdue Pastor of St. Anne Church, Sunday, September 18, 2016, and very honored to have Sister kateria Milchell, SSA, Mohawk Kateri Turtle Clan, is the executive director of the Kateri Tekakwitha Conference attending this blessing ceremony and blood relative to the same Mohawk Tribe of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha., Chief Rufus Joseph Davis, Jr. Chief and Tribal Historian, Adai Caddo Indian Nation, purchased the blessed Tekakwitha in Italy, designed, built, and funded the construction, presented the statue and Grotto to St. Anne, the Mother Church of the Adai Caddo Indian Nation as a token of gratitude for all God's blessings., Saint Kateri Tekakwitha baptized as Catherine and known as Lily of the Mohawks by her people was born 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernehon, on the south side of the Mohawk River. WHen Tekakwitha was around four years old, her baby brother and both her parents died from the smallpox epidemic, she survived but was left with facial scars and impaired eyesight. She converted to Roman Catholicism at age nineteen, when she was renamed Kateri, baptized in honor of Stain Catherine of Siena. Refusing to marry, she left her village and moved for the remaining 5 years of her life to the Jesuit Mission Village, south of Montreal in New France, now Canada., Upon her death, 1680 at the age of 24, witnesses said that minutes later her scars vanished and her face appeared radiant and beautiful., These are various miracles and supernatural events attributed to her intercession. One of the supernatural events took place here at this grotto which was originally planned for the Virgin Mary, but soon after Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 October 2012, Rev. Antony, the Pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church expressed his desire to Chief Davis to have the statue of Saint Kateria Tekakwitha his favorite Saint and her hardship and story resonated and touched him from the beginning of his priesthood, Chief Davis immediately changed the order and did not say anything to Father Antony but viewed this an intervention from God because of well this history synchronized with our Native American church that began in 1717 as St. Michael of the Adais and of its Native American roots.