On Sunday, Oct. 21, Catholics in the Philadelphia region celebrated St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s canonization at the shrine of St. Katharine Drexel in Bensalem. The celebration included Native American drumming and round dancing, a procession with a statue of St. Kateri, a traditional Blessing of the Four Directions performed by local Native Americans and a 3 p.m. Mass celebrated by Father Thomas Betz, O.F.M. Cap.
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Nitawe Stine and Andrew Hatzold in the procession before mass.
Procession on grounds of shrine before mass.
Participants in the celebration for the canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha process with a statue of her before Mass.
Native Americans from the Kateri Ciricle group walk in procession before Mass at the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, Bensalem.
Fr. Tom Betz O.F.M. Cap. was the celebrant for the mass celebrating the canonization of Saint Kateri.
Wow. What a neat way your parish celebrated Saint Kateri’s special day and time. Wish I could have been there to pray and sing with you all. I live in Chicago. I did have the chance to pray and celebrate Mass with the Kateri Center here in Chhicago before they left for Rome. Watched the Canonization ceremony live from 3-5 in the morning. It waxs so beautiful. Then went to shores of lake michigtan to sing songts to first light and Kateri. Then Mass with gramma and grampa. All so special. Thanks for sharing how your parish celebrated. Many blessings. Mitakuye oyacin. Tim