The first miracle of Kateri Tekakwitha occurred within fifteen minutes after her death. Her face, which had been scarred from Smallpox from the time she was four years old, all of a sudden lost all the scars. She was transformed into the beautiful girl she had been as a child. The witness, Fr. Cholenec, who had stayed at her side to pray her into Heaven, let out a shout. He, who was not by any means one given to sensationalism, drew everyone's attention to Kateri's face, which was now magnificent and radiant.
After that, people flocked to her grave, people with all infirmities - the blind, the lame and the sick. Healings took place in mammoth proportions. After a while small packets of dirt from her grave were handed out and given credit for healings and conversions. Some testified that merely thinking of Kateri, asking for her intercession, brought about miracles.
Her first apparition came on Easter Monday, six days after her death. Fr. Chauchetière was praying in his room at four in the morning. Kateri appeared in front of him, surrounded by dazzling light. She didn't say anything, but he heard a voice (not hers), say in Latin, "I appear every day."
Fr. Chauchetière explained what happened. "The vision remained for two hours, with prophetic signs appearing on either side of Kateri. On her left, he saw a church toppled over, and on her right, an Indian tied to a post amid flames."16
Both of these prophesies were fulfilled within seven years. The first, in which the church toppled over, occurred on August 19, 1683. The second, in which he saw the Indian tied to a post amid flames, referred to an Indian who was burned alive seven years later, whose name was Stephen Tegananokoa, the first Indian Martyr. He was followed by two heroic women, Frances Gannonhatenha and Marguerite Garongouas, also martyred.
Two days later, Kateri appeared to her instructor, Anastasia in the longhouse. In her own words,
"...I had barely gone to sleep when I was awakened by a voice calling me and saying, `My mother, get up and look.' I recognized Kateri's voice; I sat up at once, and turning to the direction from which the voice came, I saw her standing beside me. Her body was surrounded by such a bright light that I could only see her face, which was of extraordinary beauty. `My mother,' she added, `look carefully at this Cross which I am wearing. See how beautiful it is; Oh! how I loved it on earth, Oh! how I still love it in Paradise! How I wish that all those of our longhouse loved it and valued it as I did.'" With that, Kateri disappeared.
Many apparitions and healings have taken place through the intercession of our little saint. The greatest miracle was the conversion of her people, the rush of Iroquois men and women to follow in the footsteps of this Lily of the Mohawks, our Mystic of the Wilderness, Kateri Tekakwitha. Pope John Paul II beatified Kateri on June 22, 1980. She is the first fruit nourished by the blood of the North American Martyrs. Praise Jesus!
Author Resource:
Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed "experts on the Saints." For more about Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha go here: http://www.bobandpennylord.com/Bl_Kateri_Tekakwitha.htm
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