Késsinnimek - Roots - RacinesMon Petit Coin by Norm Léveillée
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Last month, July 2004, my article honored my cousin Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. I made a reference to a story about Kateri, A Litany to My Cousin that was written in May 2002, two and half years after I had discovered this saintly Mohawk-Algonquin woman. The story was also the result of a pilgrimage to Kateri's three shrines: at Ossernenon (Auriesville, NY), Canaughwaga (Fonda, NY) and Kahnawaké (Québec, Canada).
During that pilgramage of 2000, I prayed to her for a very important favor. I described this event in my booklet A Litany to My Cousin ...
As I walked the grounds of St. Peter's Mission, I kept thinking about my discovery, about my cousin Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, about my request that she watch over my daughter's family as they were going through a tough period of divorce. The chapel is a quiet place with many paintings and artifacts pertaining to our Kateri. The hillside with its Stations of the Cross is an invitation to follow the passion of Jesus and to contemplate its mysteries as Tekakwitha did three hundred and fifty years ago. Then I saw the following statue:
Click for enlarged view
and the second event in my life happened. As I was praying to Kateri in front of this statue, I renewed my prayerful request that she watch over my daughter's family: herself and her two children. I became enraptured in meditative prayer. I felt myself going back to the time and place of Tekakwitha. She was speaking to me; she asked me to spend the rest of my life in spreading knowledge of and devotion to her. I promised her that her request would be my guide for the rest of my life here on earth. After moments of suspended time and space, I became aware of my presence before this statue. As I lowered my eyes in a final prayer, I noticed a feather near my feet - one that was not there before Tekakwitha spoke to me. I took this as a sign of her promise to and request of me. From that moment, I knew and felt that my cousin Kateri Tekakwitha would always occupy an important part of my life and of those around me.
Since that time, I have received many messages from people all over the world, telling me about their devotion to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha and that they enjoyed the site. Many of these messages can be read in the Guestbook in this site.
I have continued my research into the life of Kateri. Other authors have sent articles about her and her shrines throughout the United States. I have included the articles and the photos in the website dedicated to Kateri Tekakwitha.
In the spring of this year, we revisited Kateri's shrine in Kahnawaké, Québec, where her remains are enshrined in a white marble socaphogus. While we were there, we finally found an outdoor statue that we have been looking for since our first pilgrimage. It is now part of our own shrine in the backwoods of our home.
Click for enlarged view
Why am I repeating a story about Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha? This past weekend (July 11-12), we went on another pilgrimage to the two shrines in New York. I went there specifically because I had two favors that I wish to ask my cousin to help me with. I prayed at the Martyrs of North American shrine, at the altar of Kateri in the Coliseum, as well as in her special chapel overlooking the Mohawk Valley and River (Ossernenon, now Auriesville, NY).
I also prayed at the various statues of Kateri in Fonda (Caughnawaga) as well as walking around in Caughnawaha Castle where she lived for 17 years.
There was no response from her at these various shrines. I prayed but could not feel her presence. However, on Monday, in front of my favorite statue of my cousin Tekakwitha, I finally felt her presence. I told her what my requests were and asked for her help. She heard them because at my feet, she left a small feather indicating that she had heard my requests and that she would help me. That feather was not there prior to this moment.
Click for enlarged view
The feather plays an important part in many native american ceremonies. The feather is used in the smudgeing ceremony - a blessing and cleansing ceremony in which sweetgrass, cedar, sage and tobacco are burned and the feather is used to wave the cleansing smoke to the person receiving the blessing. Feathers are used in regalia, in one's hair to honor the Great Spirit's creatures. The Talking Feather is passed from one speaker to the next to allow the holder of the feather to speak one's mind. In this case, it was Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha passing the small feather to me to let me know that she had heard, and will assist me in, my requests. It allowed me to thank her for listening to me and for helping me in my need.
It is therefore with that event in mind that prompted me to write this second story of a personal exprience with my cousin for this August issue. It is the continued fulfillment of that promise made to my cousin to spread knowledge of and devotion to her at every and any occasion that presents itself. I hope that my experience will serve as an inspiration to others.
Refer to my other articles on Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
July 2003 Issue
July 2004 Issue
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Website
Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines
Copyright © 2003 & 2004 Norm Léveillée
Tous droits réservés
Created 1 Feb 2003