Claude Chauchetière, S.J. "The Life of the Good Catherine Tekakwitha, said now Saint Catherine Tekakwitha" (1695)

Chapter 13

The life that the good Catherine Tekakwitha had led for the next two years was to serve as an example for the most fervent Christians of Europe. The spirit of Saint Catherine of Sienna and the other Saints with this name was revived in her from a particular guidance of God. God had made known to her at times the secrets of a spiritual life. She had the spirit of penance to an eminent degree and found a joy being united with God before knowing the other two stages.

Catherine Tekakwitha arrived at the Sault in the autumn of 1677. She lived with her adopted sister and her brother-in-law, whom they had taken care of her until she died. A part of their support for her was easy for them, because she was a good worker and did enough on her part to live. Clothing was most difficult to find and would oblige several of the Native girls to marry against their desire to imitate the Sisters from France, which was to practice the Evangelical Counsel and this practice is more a heroic virtue for the Natives than the French. And several Native girls tried to imitate Catherine, but a few have persevered unless they were widows, even though young that they renounce generously a second marriage.

When Catherine came, there was in the cabin a venerable Christian woman whom God gave her a rare talent of instructing. She was called, Anastasia Tegonhatsihongo, who knew Catherine from the land of the Mohawks and she had seen there the mother of Catherine. This old acquaintance, the desire of Catherine to know what was most agreeable to God and the talent Anastasia had for instruction, which had attached Catherine to her.

Catherine had learned first the ordinary exercises of the Mission, for the feast and working days. She learned more in one week than the others had in several years. She would always have the Rosary with her whether in the cabin, in the fields or in the forest. We would see her with the Rosary in her hand and with her dear instructress, when she went and came while carrying her charge of the wood. The most lowness occupations were raised from the fervour and spirit with that Catherine did them. She had never separated from Anastasia, because she learned more when the two were alone together cutting wood than at any other place. This manner of action from Catherine, which had made Anastasia say that Catherine never lost sight of God.

The matter of their conversations was the life and the morals of the good Christians. When Catherine heard that the Christians had done certain actions, which she sought to practice them like a bee that gathers honey from all sorts of flowers. The fear she had of offending God would make her love solitude and frequented less with people of her own gender, because she did not want other acquaintances than those that could lead her to perfection. In this, her prudence was often appeared admirable. Catherine separated from a girl with she was attached to, because she had seen that this girl was arrogant, but Catherine made this separation without having made it known to her.

The manner Anastasia did to instruct Catherine was to ask of her what she had done in her country during the time that they were separated. She had asked Catherine if she did not want to marry, because she was already passed the marriageable age. Catherine told her of her conscience concerning these things. She had always done as among the Iroquois, although always knowing to give the idea of what she was and confessing her ignorance. When Anastasia had spoken to her of slander and it must be avoided, which Catherine asked her what was it. We must not be astonished that she did not know slander either in speculation or in practice, because we had never heard Catherine speak badly of any person and not even those, who had unjustly accused her.