The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche celebrated the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha with an afternoon of prayer, reflection and public veneration of her relic July 14 in the Shrine Church at Mission Nombre de Dios.

Attendees had the opportunity to venerate a bone fragment of St. Kateri, a first-class relic. Many touched rings, rosaries and prayer cards to the relic while praying for her intercession.

Known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” St. Kateri was canonized in 2012 as the first Native American saint.

“It’s incredible that she was able to keep her faith in Christ despite persecution, recognizing that God’s will for her life superseded her own,” said Samuel March, a seminarian for the Diocese of St. Augustine.

March and fellow seminarian Peter Leone organized the celebration as part of their Seminarian Evangelization Apostolate at the National Shrine.

The National Shrine is home to a statue of St. Kateri, pictured here, honoring the Indigenous peoples who played an important role in the early history of the Catholic faith in Florida and throughout the Americas, inspiring pilgrims today.