Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historic Site — Attraction in Town of Mohawk

America's first Saint...Kateri! Born in 1656 on the Haudenosaunee camp located near Auriesville, NY and home to the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs. St. Kateri became orphaned and scarred from smallpox at age 4. She moved with her uncle's family across the Mohawk River to the long houses located near the Shrine. Kateri became a Catholic convert after learning the faith from French Jesuits, who were later martyred at Auriesville. Fearing violence from non Christian tribal members, Kateri moved three years later to Quebec and died at age 23. She was the first Indigenous person of North America to be canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. She is revered as a patron saint of ecology. She came to be known as the “Lily of the Mohawks” in recognition of her kindness, prayer, faith, and heroic suffering. Accounts of Tekakwitha’s life written by Father de Lamberville and fellow missionaries contributed significantly to the documentation necessary for her canonization, the cause for which opened in 1932. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. During December, 2011, after evaluating the testimony of a young boy who claimed that his infection with flesh-eating bacteria disappeared after he prayed for her intercession, Pope Benedict XVI recognized Tekakwitha as a saint. She was canonized the following October.. A Catholic chapel is open for weekend Mass ( April to October). The National Shrine is located on Rt. 5 and is maintained by the Haudenosaunee people with support from the generosity...

Moved out of the area a few years ago, I miss the place. Sometimes there is a service going on, even if you aren't Catholic but if you believe it's one of the few places where you will feel Jesus put his arms around you. It's not the only place, but it is one of the Only Places. If it's a quiet afternoon, the chapel is so quiet you can hear the bees humming. As for the museum. First and foremost it is free, but please donate at the door. What it lacks in slick lighting and widescreen 3D screen 5.1 surround wizbang it makes up with authentic artifacts. Many museums have repros. Not here. If F. Dominic is still there he is a goldmine of local and Iroquois/Mohawk history. LOL I was there more than once and someone mistook me for him. We do look a little like each other. If the case says this is such and such, it is. The history of the dig is fantastic. Walk the village, see the spring. I even found a native stone hoe on the path there. Yes I turned it in when spring came. The gift shop has some amazing jams and jellies. In late summer in the woods you can smell the tobacco growing wild and consider it was planted by the Natives 300 years ago. This place is a national treasure. Nothing else like it. Oh, off season it's closed due to 6 feet of snow in the...

Open to the public, it's a nice stop off as you explore the area. This is considered a sacred site so be respectful of traditions, such as pilgrims doing the stations of the cross, going to Mass, or offering prayers & lighting candles (there is a building specifically for this). There is a gift shop there as well that sells various religious items & other gifts. I would recommend checking it out & walking the grounds up to the site of the Haudenosaunee village where St....