Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
New England Road Trip 2024➤
My friend Patty and I hit the road again in October 2024. Our route took us through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York. Along the way we hit several National Park Service Units and historic sites. On day two, we spent the morning touring Hildene in Vermont. We then drove across New York State to Utica, stopping at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine & Historic Site on the way.
Saint Kateri➤
When planning a halfway stop for this leg of our road trip, I saw the National Shrine on the map. I wondered, “Who was Saint Kateri?”
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha became the first Native American saint canonized by the Catholic Church. She was born in 1656 in what is now upstate New York to a Mohawk father and an Algonquin Christian mother. Smallpox orphaned her as a child, leaving her face scarred and her eyesight weak.
At 19, Kateri converted to Christianity despite opposition from her community. She spent her days praying, fasting, and caring for the sick. After facing persecution, she moved to a Christian mission village in present-day Quebec, Canada. There she lived a devoted life until her death at 24.
People call her the “Lily of the Mohawks.” She serves as the patron saint of ecology, the environment, and Native Americans. One miracle led to her canonization: in 2006, a young boy suffered a severe, life-threatening infection. After prayers to Kateri, he recovered completely without medical explanation. The Vatican recognized this healing as miraculous. Pope Benedict XVI canonized her in 2012.
The Shrine➤
In 1938, Father Thomas Grassmann discovered the Mohawk village of Caughnawaga, where Kateri once lived. It stands as the only fully excavated Iroquois village from that era. The Franciscan friars opened a shrine there in 1980. After Kateri’s canonization, it became a National Shrine in 2012.
When we arrived, we first lit a candle in the small chapel for friends facing serious illnesses. We dropped their names into the provided box. Next, we explored Saint Peter’s Chapel, housed in an old barn, and browsed the exhibits in the museum. Then we walked the paths around the site before hitting the road again.
New England Posts➤
- Mount Holyoke
- Cornish Windsor Bridge
- Saint-Gaudens
- Saint-Gaudens Mansion
- Saint-Gaudens Sculpture Tour
- Hildene
- Hildene: Gardens
- Hildene: Pullman
- Hildene: Farm
- Saint Kateri National Shrine
- Fort Stanwix
- Watkins Glen State Park
Location: 3636 NY-5, Fonda, New York
Designation: National Shrine
Date designated/established: 1938
Date of my visit: October 4, 2024
