Everything is Interconnected

By Nic Herrman

On July 14, the Catholic Church celebrated Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first indigenous woman canonized in North America. Saint Kateri lived a life full of obstacles; born in 1656 as a member of the Mohawk tribe in modern-day New York, her family died of smallpox when she was just four years old. While young Kateri survived, the illness left her face scarred and her eyesight diminished. She was raised by her uncle and his family. She spent many years moving around northeastern America and southeastern Canada as skirmishes broke out between the Mohawk people and the French fur traders who fought over land and resources.

Amidst constant upheaval, Saint Kateri encountered French Jesuit Missionaries, who introduced her to Christianity. Kateri became fascinated by the teachings of the Jesuits and the Catholic faith, and decided to convert to Catholicism at the age of 19. At this time, she devoted herself to the Lord and vowed to a life of chastity and service. She routinely fasted and is said to have slept on a bed of thorns; sacrifices she made as an offering to the Lord. Saint Kateri died young at the age of 24 due to a series of health complications. She was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Saint Kateri lived a life devoted to prayer, penance, and humble spirituality, a spirituality that endures to this day. Saint Kateri believed in the inherent sacredness of the land and a human responsibility to protect it. She found God in all things and often retreated to the forest for days at a time to engage in prayer. Saint Kateri used her knowledge of local tribes and languages to evangelize and spread the stories of Jesus and the gospel among other indigenous tribes and peoples.

Today, Saint Kateri reminds us that a universal church is a diverse church that welcomes everyone. She also reminds us that we are stewards of this natural earth, a message that Pope Francis echoes in his 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si: “Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of that global solidarity which flows from the mystery of the Trinity (270).” Saint Kateri is the patron saint of ecology, the environment, and indigenous people.

Consider joining us at Marilac Center for one of the following events:

Season of Creation: Living Waters (Ezekiel 47)
September 10, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Marillac Assembly
Sister Susan Chase, SCL

Living waters flow . . . healing and renewing land, seas, and our responsibility toward creation. Waters flow, as a tiny stream that deepens, bringing life to dead areas and restoring ecosystems. We examine Ezekiel’s call to global restoration of life, ecological healing, the interdependence of humanity and the natural world, bringing hope for both humanity and creation.

Good Conversations: Holy Voices
September 15, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Marillac Assembly
Fr. Kevin Cullen, SJ

Continuing in Synodality, we listen to the voices that call us to the path of holiness as we live out the Gospel call. We are wonderfully surprised to hear the voice of our Churches, our neighbors, and our own voices calling us into a deeper way of life together. And we are invited to hear Josephine Bakhita, Nicholas Black Elk, Julia Greeley, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Thea Bowman, people on the road to canonization.

Beloved Discipleship: Johannine Gospel
Monday, October 12 (4 p.m.) – Sunday, October 18 (4 p.m. – Mass)
This event is held in Ross Chapel
Sr. Mary McGlone, CSJ

The Beloved Discipleship Retreat will examine the Gospel of John as the way to enter the call we each have to become beloved disciples of Jesus in today’s world. The rhythm of prayer will include times for silence, personal prayer, and individual accompaniment if requested.