My confirmation name is Kateri and though my relationship with religion has since changed, I’ve always had a connection to her. I’ve visited the Auriesville Shrine a few times but did you know Saint Kateri has her own shrine just a few minutes away?
If you’ve heard about the Auriesville Shrine in relation to Saint Kateri, you’re not incorrect. The Auriesville Shrine prides itself, among other things, on being the birthplace of Saint Kateri. I talked more about it in a video on my Instagram. But, just a few minutes away is the Saint Kateri National Shrine and Historical Site.
The Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine is on the land where she was baptized and where she spent most of her life. According to their website, “the village of Caughnawaga, which was Kateri’s home, was rediscovered in 1950 and is now the only fully excavated Iroquois/Haudenosaunee village in the world.”
Throughout the land, you can visit a few chapels dedicated to Saint Kateri as well as a museum to explain what was found on the land and the history of when it was once owned by Native Americans. You can also learn of the life of Saint Kateri and her journey to sainthood.
Also on the land are short walking trails where you can visit the land where the village of Caughnawaga once stood. It’s a beautiful space to reflect and take some time with yourself. Also, to remember what our land once was before Europeans colonized it.
