St. Kateri Tekakwitha Medals

St. Kateri Tekakwitha medal necklaces honor the first Native American saint — a Mohawk-Algonquin woman born in 1656 in the village of Ossernenon, near present-day Auriesville, New York. Orphaned at age four when a smallpox epidemic killed her parents and infant brother, Kateri survived the disease but was left with scarred skin and severely weakened eyesight. Despite fierce opposition from her clan, she received baptism at age twenty on Easter Sunday, 1676, and walked sixty miles through snow to the Christian mission of Kahnawake near Montreal to live her faith openly. She died there in 1680 at age twenty-four, and witnesses reported that the scars on her face disappeared moments after her death. She is the patron saint of Native Americans, ecologists, orphans, and people in exile, and her feast day is celebrated on July 14.

Catholics wear a St. Kateri medal as a sign of devotion to the first saint of indigenous North America and as a reminder that holiness belongs to every culture and people. These medals are especially cherished within tribal Catholic communities across the United States and Canada, where Kateri's witness carries deep personal meaning. They make a profoundly fitting gift for a Confirmation candidate of Native American heritage, for an ecologist or environmental advocate who draws spiritual strength from creation, or for anyone who has experienced exile, loss, or the struggle to practice faith in the face of opposition. Presenting this medal on her feast day, July 14, is a beautiful way to mark that celebration.

Every St. Kateri Tekakwitha medal in our collection is crafted in the USA by Bliss Manufacturing and backed by a lifetime guarantee. Choose from sterling silver, 14kt gold filled, or 14kt solid gold, with a range of sizes and chain lengths to suit any wearer. Browse our full selection of patron saint medals, explore our St. Francis of Assisi medals for fellow lovers of creation, or shop with confidence knowing every order over $40 ships free.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is St. Kateri Tekakwitha and what is she the patron saint of?

St. Kateri Tekakwitha is a Mohawk-Algonquin woman born in 1656 in Ossernenon, New York, who converted to Catholicism at age twenty and is venerated as the patron saint of Native Americans, ecologists, orphans, and people in exile. She survived a smallpox epidemic that killed her parents and left her with scarred skin and weakened eyesight, yet went on to become one of the most devoted mystics of seventeenth-century North America. Her intercession is sought by indigenous Catholics, environmental advocates, and anyone who has experienced displacement or the loss of family at a young age.

Why is St. Kateri called the Lily of the Mohawks?

St. Kateri earned the title Lily of the Mohawks because witnesses present at her death on April 17, 1680, reported that the deep smallpox scars that had marked her face since childhood disappeared within minutes of her passing, leaving her skin smooth and radiant. The lily is a traditional symbol of purity and resurrection in Catholic devotion, and it was applied to Kateri both because of this miraculous transformation and because of the extraordinary purity of life she had maintained through years of personal suffering and social opposition. Her medal often depicts her holding or surrounded by lilies, making the symbol immediately recognizable to those familiar with her story.

Was St. Kateri Tekakwitha the first Native American to be canonized a saint?

Yes, St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first person of indigenous North American heritage to be canonized by the Catholic Church. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 22, 1980 — exactly three hundred years after her death — and then canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012, in a ceremony in Rome that was attended by thousands of Native American Catholics from across the United States and Canada. Her canonization was received as a historic moment of recognition that holiness has taken root in every culture and people on the continent.

When is St. Kateri Tekakwitha's feast day?

St. Kateri Tekakwitha's feast day is celebrated on July 14 in the United States and Canada, the date assigned after her canonization in 2012. In other parts of the world her feast is observed on April 17, the anniversary of her death in 1680. July 14 has become an occasion for large gatherings of Native American Catholics, particularly at the National Kateri Shrine in Fonda, New York — built near the site of Ossernenon where she was born — and at the Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Kahnawake, Quebec, where she lived and died.

What occasions are most meaningful for giving a St. Kateri Tekakwitha medal as a gift?

A St. Kateri Tekakwitha medal is especially meaningful as a Confirmation gift for a young person of Native American heritage, as it connects their cultural identity directly to a canonized saint who shared that heritage and faced real hardship to live her faith. Her feast day on July 14 is another natural occasion, particularly for families and communities who gather annually to honor her memory. Environmental advocates, ecology students, and conservationists also receive this medal with great appreciation at graduations or the start of a new professional role, since Kateri's deep reverence for the natural world makes her a beloved patron for those called to protect creation.

Are the St. Kateri Tekakwitha medals at rosarycard.net made in the USA?

Yes, every St. Kateri Tekakwitha medal necklace sold at rosarycard.net is made in the United States by Bliss Manufacturing, a trusted American producer of Catholic religious jewelry. Bliss medals are available in sterling silver, 14kt gold filled, and 14kt solid gold, and every piece is backed by a lifetime guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. Choosing a USA-made medal means supporting American craftspeople while giving a devotional piece built to last a lifetime of daily wear.

The Story of St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in Ossernenon, a Mohawk village along the Mohawk River in what is now upstate New York. Her mother was a Christian Algonquin woman who had been captured by the Mohawks; her father was a Mohawk chief. When Kateri was four years old, a devastating smallpox epidemic swept through Ossernenon, killing both her parents and her infant brother. Kateri herself survived, but the disease left permanent scars across her face and damaged her eyesight so severely that she shielded her eyes from bright light for the rest of her life — a detail that gives added meaning to her Mohawk name, which means "she who bumps into things." Raised by her uncle, who became chief of the Turtle Clan, she was exposed to Jesuit missionaries who occasionally lodged in the village. At age eighteen she began formal instruction in the faith, and on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1676, she was baptized and given the Christian name Catherine — Kateri in Mohawk. Her conversion made her a target of hostility within her own village, and in 1677 she fled on foot to the Jesuit mission of Kahnawake near Montreal, where she spent the last three years of her life in intense prayer, fasting, and care for the sick and elderly. She died on April 17, 1680, at the age of twenty-four.

Why Catholics Wear a St. Kateri Tekakwitha Medal

The spiritual tradition of wearing a St. Kateri medal is rooted in her extraordinary witness as the first person of indigenous North American heritage to be raised to sainthood. Her medal typically depicts her in Mohawk dress, often holding a cross or a lily — the lily being her most recognized symbol and the source of her beloved title, "Lily of the Mohawks," a name given because her face was said to have become radiant and unmarked at the moment of her death. Some medals also show her in a posture of prayer before a woodland cross, reflecting her practice of carving crosses into trees in the forest around Kahnawake and spending hours in prayer before them. Catholics who are of Native American heritage wear this medal as an affirmation that their cultural identity and their Catholic faith are not in conflict but are united in one of the Church's own saints. Ecologists and environmental advocates wear it as a reminder that reverence for creation is a form of prayer. Parents of orphaned or adopted children sometimes choose it as a protective medal for children who, like Kateri, have known loss early in life.

Our St. Kateri Tekakwitha Medal Collection

Every St. Kateri Tekakwitha medal necklace at rosarycard.net is made in the USA by Bliss Manufacturing, a family-owned company with decades of experience producing Catholic religious jewelry to the highest standards of craftsmanship. Our Kateri medals are available in sterling silver, 14kt gold filled, and 14kt solid gold, with medal sizes ranging from petite to large and chain lengths from 18 to 24 inches to ensure a comfortable, flattering fit for every wearer. All medals carry Bliss's lifetime guarantee — if your medal ever tarnishes, breaks, or fails under normal wear, we will replace it. Orders over $40 ship free. If you are drawn to saints who embody care for the natural world, you may also love our St. Francis of Assisi medals and our St. Damien of Molokai medals. For a broader look at the saints who intercede for those on the margins, explore our guardian angel medals and our full patron saint of the environment collection.

Giving a St. Kateri Tekakwitha Medal as a Gift

A St. Kateri medal is one of the most personal and culturally resonant gifts you can give to a Catholic of Native American heritage. The most natural occasion is her feast day, July 14, when tribal Catholic communities across North America hold special Masses, processions, and gatherings in her honor — presenting a Kateri medal at a feast day celebration carries the weight of shared heritage and shared faith. For a young person of Native American background preparing for Confirmation, a Kateri medal is a powerful choice: it tells the candidate that a saint who looked like them, lived like them, and faced real opposition for their faith is interceding for them from heaven. Environmental advocates and ecology students also receive this medal with deep appreciation, particularly at graduations or the start of a new conservation role. Every medal from rosarycard.net arrives in gift-ready packaging, and orders over $40 ship free, making it easy to send directly to the recipient wherever they are in the country.
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