Witnesses of Hope: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

The cycle ot philatelic issues ‘Witnesses of Hope’ continues to pay tribute to those figures who, through their witness of faith, have illuminated history with the silent but powerful force of Christian hope. With this issue, the Postal and Philatelic Service celebrates Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), the first native North American saint. Kateri was born in 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, in what is now New York State, to a Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother. At the age of four, she survived a smallpox epidemic that took her parents and brother, leaving her with deep scars on her face and impaired vision. Her encounter with French Jesuit missionaries introduced her to the Christian faith, which she embraced with total dedication. Baptised in 1676 with the name Catherine (Kateri in the Mohawk language), she chose to live according to Gospel values despite misunderstandings and persecution within her village. She died in 1680, at the age of only 24, remembered for her gentleness, discretion and generosity towards the sick and the poorest. Canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 21 October 2012, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is now the patron saint of ecologists, Native Americans and young people. The stamp depicts Saint Kateri Tekakwitha; the mini-sheet is completed by an illustration in which the symbol of the lily and the vision of a bright horizon come together to compose an allegory of Hope.