Indian woman a candidate for Catholic sainthood

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John Pelotte, the first Indian bishop, will ask Pope John Paul to make a Mohawk woman a saint.

The candidate for sainthood is Kateri Tekawitha. Kateri was baptized by Jesuit missionaries in 1676 and vowed to remain a virgin. She died of smallpox in 1680, at the age of 24. Catholic legend states the smallpox scars vanished from her body and her skin turned white as she died. The story of Kateri has spread across the country, said Pelotte.

"Now, you can find statues of her in Navajo churches," said Pelotte. "All across the southwest, there are pictures and medallions of Kateri Tekawitha. This in itself is a kind of miracle, good enough for her canonization. She has been the great unifier of Indian Catholics."

The bishop feels the Pope will agree. In 1980 the Pope beatified Kateri Tekawitha, which is the last step before someone is elevated to sainthood.