Pope Benedict XVI appoints St. Regis native Sr. Kateri Mitchell named a pontifical consultor

By Pat Hendrick, staff writer

North Country Catholic

St. Regis - Sister Kateri Mitchell is one of a kind in a couple of ways.

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed her consultor with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the first Catholic Native Ameri­can to hold the position.

Plus, Sister Kateri, a Sister of St. Ann, is the first Native American nun from the St. Regis (Akwesasne) Reserva­tion that straddles northern Franklin county and western Quebec,

“I was born, raised and educated here. I was the first vocation from here,” she said during a recent visit home.

In her career, Sister Kateri has been a teacher, principal and education administrator.

Her father, the late Alex Mitchell, was very involved with the church and was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

As executive director of the Tekakwitha Conference in Great Falls, Mont., Sister Kateri strongly supports par­ticipation by Native Ameri­cans in the Catholic Church.

“I became the first woman to be executive director,” she said. The conference is the only Native American Catholic conference in the world. It promotes the evan­gelization of Native Ameri­can Catholics.

Promoting Blessed Kateri

“The organization has 130 Kateri Circles, both adult and youth,” Sister Kateri said. “Their role is prayer and the canonization of our patroness, the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.”

Blessed Kateri was born to a Christian Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father in 1656 in upstate New York along the Hudson River, and was baptized by a Jesuit mis­sionary in 1676 when she was 20.

She was devoted to prayer and cared for the sick. She died in 1680 at the age of 24. In June 1980, she became the first Native American to be beatified.

Interest in her canonization is strong throughout the world.

“Right now, we need a first-class miracle,” she said. “There are a number of cases that have been submitted.”

Sister Kateri’s work with the conference enables Native Americans to become more deeply involved with the church.

“Through the conference, there are stronger bonds with the church… deepening faith” through involvement with parish and diocesan activities, she said.

Budding awareness

There’s also an effort to raise awareness of the approximately 500,000 Native Americans in the United States. That is improving.

“I think there’s been more recognition,” Sister Kateri said. “In some of the places where I’ve lived, people are not aware there are Native American people living in the United States ... In urban areas. Native Americans get lost in the crowd … More and more, as time goes on, Native American people are more visible.”

“They also are becoming more visible within the church,” she aid.

Some churches have incor­porated Native American symbols and ceremonies into their worship.

For example. “You can have drums, rattles, whatever is an expression of music in the different tribes,” she said. “The music would be that of a chant,” with variations according to local custom, she said. “To make Mass more culturally sensitive,” dance might be introduced into certain parts of the liturgy.

Native symbols can appear on vestments. The stole, especially, can reflect local cultures through their colors and designs, Sister Kateri said.

For the Mohawk people, significant symbols would include the bear, wolf, turtle and snipe.

Developing vocations

Developing vocations among Native Americans is an important goal, she said.

“I’d say there are about 20 Native American priests throughout the United States,” she said. There defi­nitely is a need. Native priests are in demand.”

Father George White is the only priest from the St. Regis Reservation, and he is from the Canadian side. There aren’t many Native American nuns either, Sister Kateri said.

Although the interests of Native Americans are close to her heart, Mitchell’s duties are broader.

“One other program I am involved in is basic direction in native ministries,” she said.

This involves a wide range of native cultures, not solely Native Americans. And her papal appointment has involved Sister Kateri in interreligious dialogues.