Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Born in 1656, Kateri Tekakwitha in 2012 became the first Native North American to be canonized in the Catholic Church. She grew up in New York State, orphaned as a four-year-old when small pox killed her parents. She was baptized as a young adult and lived a pious life. Ridiculed for her beliefs, she fled to a Christian Mohawk village in Kahnawake, Quebec, where she died of tuberculosis shortly before her 24th birthday. It is believed that since her death, many miracles have been performed through her intercession.