Learning about Saints

Students might learn about Saints that are linked in some way with sharing, kindness and inclusion.

The Saints below are linked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. St. Kateri is a Native American Saint and Sr. Mary MacKillop is the first Australian Saint.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Kateri Takakwitha is the patron saint of the environment. She is the first Native American saint. She was born in 1656 to the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and a Catholic Alqonquin. Father Jacques de Lambertville, a Jesuit missionary baptized her.

She was devoted to prayer and penitenial practices. She also cared for the sick and aged. At the age of four her mother and brother died of smallpox. Kateri’s face was scarred by the disease and she became almost blind. St. Kateri died during Holy Week. Within 15 minutes of death her face was healed of its scars.

She appeared to many people after her death, always carrying a cross. We celebrate St. Kateri’s feast day on July 14.

Saint Mary MacKillop

Saint Mary MacKillop is one of the most remarkable and inspiring women that Australia has produced. She dedicated her life to the Sisters of St Joseph, the first Religious order to be founded by an Australian, and in doing so, Saint Mary MacKillop provided an outstanding example that we as a society can follow.

Despite a vow of poverty and a dependence on Divine Providence, Saint Mary managed to make education available to the poor and the marginalised people of rural Australia.

Even when faced with challenging times, Saint Mary refused to attack those who wrongly accused her and undermined her work. She continued in the way that she believed God was calling her, and was always ready to forgive those who wronged her.

Saint Mary showed compassion for anyone in need, regardless of race, colour or faith, and a reverence for the dignity of others, especially those most neglected in society.