Montérégie Saint Francis-Xavier Mission Sanctuary of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

On October 12, 2012, Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk woman from Kahnawake, became the first North American Indigenous woman to be canonized a Saint by Pope Benedict XVI. The tomb, located in the right-hand transept of the Saint Francis Xavier Mission, is inscribed with these words: Kaiatanoron Kateri Tekakwitha, Precious Kateri Tekakwitha. Tekakwitha has always been respected by the Mohawk and First Nations communities, who view her as a woman, a saint, and an ancestor.