Welcome to July’s Novena!

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

FEAST DAY:  July 14

Prayer to the Lily of Mohawks

Blessed Kateri, you are revered as the mystic of the American wilderness. Though orphaned at the age of four, and left with a scarred face and damaged eyesight from illness, you were esteemed among the Mohawk tribe. When you asked to be baptized a Christian you subjected yourself to abuse by your people and were forced to run away. You endured many trials but still flowered in prayer and holiness, dedicating yourself totally to Christ. I ask you to be my spiritual guide along my journey through life. Through you intercession, I pray that I may always be loyal to my faith in all things. Amen.

Prayer to St. Kateri

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, our elder sister in the Lord, discreetly, you watch over us. May your love for Jesus and Mary inspire in us words and deeds of friendship, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Pray that God will give us the courage, the boldness, and the strength to build a world of justice and peace among ourselves and among all nations. Help us, as you did, to encounter the Creator God present in the very depths of nature, and so become witnesses of Life. With you, we praise the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving for St. Kateri Tekakwitha

God our Father, Whom Kateri Tekakwitha liked to call the Great Spirit, We thank you for having given us this young woman as a model of the Christian life. Despite her frailness and her community’s resistance, she bore witness to the presence of Christ. With her companions, she drew close to the elderly and to the sick. Every day, she saw in nature a reflection of your own glory and beauty. Grant that by her intercession we may always be close to you, more sensitive to the needs of those around us, and more respectful of creation. With her, we shall strive to discover what pleases you and endeavor to accomplish it until that day you call us back to you. Amen!

LET US PRAY