Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk/Algonquin made Saint...

Kateri Tekakwitha,  a Mohawk/Algonquin, who died at age 24 in 1680 near Montreal, was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 21 before an estimated 80,000 pilgrims who gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. “Saint Kateri, Protectress of Canada and the first Native American saint, we entrust to you the renewal of the faith in the First Nations and in North America,” the Pope said. “May God bless the First Nations.” Kateri is credited with a miracle only six years ago, reports the Globe and Mail newspaper. A boy, 12, was cured miraculously of flesh-eating disease after all was lost and the family was advised to pray to Kateri for intervention. The young man received communion from the Pope Oct. 21 in the Square as well. Six other individuals were canonized alongside Kateri. The process of canonization is a slow one. Kateri, known as the Lily of the Mohawks, was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and it has taken 32 years to reach official sainthood.