"It was a very powerful day."
St. Kateri was also celebrated by First Nations people in Maskwacis, Canada in the Catholic Diocese of Edmonton in Alberta.
According to Grandin Media, Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Parish has celebrated St. Kateri's life for six years now with Mass and a traditional lunch of soup and bannock. Every year, children of the parish perform a play based on Kateri's life.
Wildcat, a member of Ermineskin First Nation, told Grandin that the story of St. Kateri inspires her because of how well she can relate to her.
"I experience judgment, criticism, talk because of my faith and belief in the Church as I journey in my everyday life," she said.
"I'm very thankful that the people I work with respect my belief. But I know, in our other places, when we gather - it's not just me, I speak for other women - we have to hear things about 'That's not our culture. That's not our way of life.'"
"That's where Kateri comes in. We can pray to her and ask her to intercede for us to our Heavenly Father, so we can be strong. There are times I'll speak up and say 'We need to respect each other's beliefs,'" she added.
Wildcat told Grandin that she thinks some of the animosity towards the Church comes from the history of residential schools, which were state-owned by often managed by Catholics, in which indigenous children were taught over the course of roughly 100 years.
Recent accusations against the schools include a forced "enculturation" of the children to the state through attendance at residential schools. Some 6,000 children also died in the schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which ran from 2008-2015, called for action on 94 points, one of which was an apology from the Catholic Church.
In 2009, Benedict XVI did apologize for the Church's participation in the system during a meeting with the head of the Canadian National Assembly, Phil Fontaine, showing "his pain and anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the Church," adding that "acts of abuse can never be tolerated by society."
Wildcat told Grandin that she was "thankful that I didn't experience what others experienced (in the schools). I learned to pray and to believe in God even though throughout my life, I had a grudge against them because of things in my life growing up."
After some time away from the Church, Wildcat again made room for God in her life, she said.
(Story continues below)
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Wildcat said the yearly celebration of St. Kateri allows Catholics to spread awareness of the saint known "for her healing and virtuous life that she lived, so we too can focus on those virtues."
Mary Farrow worked as a staff writer for Catholic News Agency until 2020. She has a degree in journalism and English education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.