Pierre Cholenec, S.J. "The Life of Catherine Tekakwitha, First Iroquois Virgin" (1696)

Chapter 12       

Catherine was delivered from all these apprehensions and now was in complete power of doing what she judged right, and not troubled from anyone. She had thought only of thanking Our Lord for all the graces that she received from Him, which she had corresponded to these graces with gratefulness and with a reciprocal love.

Her companion, who Catherine did not fail to recount the entire affair, had strengthened and aided Catherine. Mary Theresa was always trying to profit from the sentiments Catherine had communicated to her and from the beautiful example that was Catherine, which her companion had always before her eyes. Catherine would often say to herself, “Hey what!” And she would say, “If an innocent girl so conducts herself, what should not a sinner like myself do?” It was the fervour of Catherine that lighted the fire of divine love in the heart of Mary Theresa, who was a great aid to Catherine’s fervour.

Catherine had continued all her exercises of piety that we have already spoken, which she fortified them through a fervent reception of the Sacraments that were a source of grace, because of the holy dispositions that she brought to them. She had recommenced, even though she was infirm, to chastise her body from continual work, night vigils, fasting and all the sorts of austerities done in secret with only her companion to witness and to join her in them.

She had passed all summer in this manner. We proposed that she should go to the forest during the winter, but she would not hear of it and protesting that never again do as so. And as we have already said that she had taken this resolution, because of the pain she suffered the winter before when being far from the chapel and the Holy Sacraments and also, of having been deprived of all the spiritual aids that she would have in the village.

I had wanted to take her on the hunt as to restore her health a little, where she would not be deprived of the good nourishment that she needed, but could not have in the village and as the winter was long and staying that she would suffer through need of it, because during the winter that they lived only on corn. Catherine had only laughed at this and a moment later, which she had assumed that devout look when she would come to tell me of her spiritual desires. She had given me this reply and dignified of Tekakwitha, “Ah, my Father! It is true the body fares well in the forest, but the soul would languish there and dies of hunger. Whereas in the village, the body would suffer a little from not being so well nourished, but the soul is near to Our Lord and finds entire satisfaction. I have abandoned this miserable body to hunger and any other misery so my soul could be content and have its usual nourishment.” She remained in the village for the entire winter and found what she had such eagerly sought, that is to say, crosses of sustenance and all the sweetness of Heaven for her spirit. These she had acquired generously for herself in accordance with her custom. Our Lord promised to satisfy those that would hunger and thirst for justice. He had accorded to her these with an equal abundance.

This spirit has this year, 1678, united all those women, who number thirteen and having Catherine among them, which they have as their purpose the highest condition of perfection. They would assemble themselves and one makes a brief exhortation or they would tell their faults and incite virtue to one another. They are called the Sisters of Catherine, and act like the Daughters of Mercy in France, which they do works of charity to their neighbours and especially taking care of the poor and the sick. They would carry wood in secret to them during the evening and leave immediately, for the fear of being perceived. They would go to watch the sick and bring them alms with other things that they would need. Poverty is not a curse of the Mission, but it punishes it from time to time and follows the Natives everywhere.

To have attained their end that they make the practice of mortification and are opposed to carnal pleasures, which they had treated as the bait of the demon. They had said that the Fathers, who want to make them abandon the penitential belt and discipline, do not know how much they were burden with sins before they were taught to live rightly. They assist one another in the fields and are always seen occupied in carrying wood or making wampum collars, planting, spinning, sewing, and making pouches and in other labours. After the death of Catherine that one of them and who was from Onondaga, Mary Attontinon, had pronounced the vows of a Sister at the Congregation of Notre-Dame in Montreal.

And as we have said before, the Mission was at that time very fervent under the guidance of its holy Missionaries. It was a new Church possessed of extraordinary graces and the holiness that prevailed there, which was worthy of the early Church.

The Iroquois had become strongly attached to the Church. These ardent and brave converts had conceived with such a grief and shame of the sins from their past lives, although these had been effaced through Baptism that they are still performing great penance for them. And several times a week that some of them had chastised their bodies until they bled. Also, while gathering firewood for entire days that they would wear iron belts around their bodies. Joseph Togoniron, who was the famous Chief of the Sault with the name of the Great Mohawk, had worn an iron belt every Friday and on all the great feasts. Paul Honoguenhag, who was a Huron appointed Chief for the charge of the observance of Christianity and religion, which he was also the first catechist of the Mission and did as much penance. Another Huron catechist called, Ethan, who was of such austere virtue that it gave devotion from merely seeing him pray and so were then the men.

The women were not behind their husbands in the ardour they showed for a life of penance. They even went to extremes that when it came to our knowledge, which we were obliged to moderate their zeal. I had seen Mary of Onondaga, during three consecutive nights and through the severest weather, which she stripped and rolled in the snow that to atone for her past sins. Another had done in a similar cold that was accompanied from such a heavy snowstorm, which it was not possible to see two steps from oneself or having the strength to stand, but she stood and stripped to waist while reciting the Rosary in this posture. It has to be known that in the Native language that the Hail Mary is twice as long as in our own.

Others went further that is, in the middle of the winter having broken the ice with their hatchets, which they had plunged themselves up to their necks in rivers and ponds. Often they had the courage to recite several decades of the Rosary and while enduring this frightful torment. They would come out with a vest of ice around their bodies.

Mary Theresa Tegaiaguenta went down to the river one freezing night while the rest were tired from a long hunt and deep into their sleep. She had broken the ice and kept her body immersed in the water while reciting the entire Rosary of the Blessed Mary. When this courageous woman had left the water, she passed the rest of the night on her mat with her frozen clothing. This was a new penance, which having staying longer in what she did that it was a harder penance. She had done the same the next night and third night in the same manner. Her weak flesh could not sustain the vigour of her spirit that she had caught a violent fever and nearly died.

Anne equalled in virtue that of her husband, who was the good Christian, Ethan. She was not satisfied with plunging herself into the river through the ice that she also had plunged her little daughter aged three years old, Mary, and pulled her out half dead. When I had blamed her later of this action, I asked her of the reason that led her to do it. She replied simply and in good faith, which she had the child do penance in advance for fear of when the child grew older that she would fall into sin.

I had the charge of the greater number of these people, but all of these things were everyday occurrences in the forest, where these fervent Christians believed that everything was permitted there to them. The woman, who had plunged into the icy river on three consecutive nights, which she was not accustomed to go on the hunt and only went this time, because I would not allow her to do as she wanted in the village and saying to herself, “At least that I shall be the mistress of my own body in the forest.” She had admitted this when they brought her to me more dead than alive. All we could do in these situations was to prevent a repetition of these excesses, but the good intentions and absence of understanding of the new Christians had rendered excusable.

I will admit that these excesses are not always a sure mark of sanctity, because vanity and the admiration for themselves would advance into them. However, we have reason to believe that these Christians are a true sign, because they persevered to the rest of their lives. They had lived in great innocence, union and charity, and especially as regards the poor and sick, which they did not content themselves in working to their own salvation, but were also zealous for their fellow countrymen that came to the Sault either to visit or live with them. They could be seen instructing them all day and even at night, because these newcomers did not immediately go from one extreme to the other and brought with them some sort of conduct, which the least disturbance that they caused would have thrown the entire village into dismay. And to have prevented this, the men and the women of the Holy Family made the rounds of the cabins. They had voluntarily set apart their sleep to prevent offence to God.

The zeal of these fervent Christians had extended beyond the Great River to Montreal. A great number of people at that time had descended from the Outaouacs and to trade in Montreal. The Natives were accustomed to go there and profit from the general trade. The Great Mohawk with Kinnouskouen, who was a Mohawk catechist and an elder of the Sault, which they were more interested in the things of God than their own affairs that they had performed a deed worthy of eternal commemoration. It is well known that these trading times were days of drunkenness and impurity. These two Christians having the influence among the Natives that they assembled the girls and women in a separate place as a camp, which they had then guarded this camp all night long to prevent the girls and women from leaving and also, the men from entering it.

The same two persons with the good Ethan went to preach the Gospel in the village of the Mohawks. And during the time that they had spent there, which they preached all day long in the longhouses without taking any rest and received during the night those, who came to see them for advice in their difficulties. All of this, they did during a time of drunkenness and making our Faith triumph. They had preached quite openly without the fear of being killed from the drunken people. Their zeal was not in vain, because God had blessed their work and they secured great fruits to our religion.

Martin Skandegonrhaksen, a very near relative of the Great Mohawk, went to preach the Faith in the country of the Mohawks with the others. He would preach the Gospel openly in the village among the elders. The spirit of the prayer gave him a habit of wearing his Rosary around his head. The Great Mohawk profited from his dying words throughout the remainder of his life. Martin died in 1675, at the age of twenty years old that is, two years after his Baptism.

In the summer of 1677, Father Bruyas lived in these villages and was such edified, consoled and aided from these Natives that he sent us a letter praising them. He had begged the Missionary of the Sault to send similar aid, because it would be of much worthiness for him, and such were the first Christians of the Mission of the Sault.

If the European nations would not with their cursed liquor trade and licentiousness ruin the Missionaries’ work, and the free use of firearms in the war that followed, which we would have fine churches in this country. However, the thanks are to God that for many years we still had among the Natives a large number, who had preserved in innocence and fervour. And so great and beautiful actions is deserved to be known and praised from all, but those that performed these actions had as much humility as fervour and knew to hide their mortification well, except for the Missionaries near to us that no one had known of their mortification. However, as virtue is produced through herself, but unfortunately it is that several people in the village had doubts about the piety of religious devotedness at the Mission and Catherine would be among them. She had such an eager and penetrating spirit, which she thought there was something above this extraordinary piety of the Sault and also, something hidden in the lives of these fervent Christians that was the source or support of their virtue. Finally, she had reached such a high degree of virtue that she discovered part of it and concluded the rest.

Something quite important had happened to her lately, which Father Chauchetiere and I could not enough marvel at while having scourged herself as usual with admirable ardour and in a very dark place. She found herself surrounded with such a great light and as if were high noon. Although having lasted as the first shower of her stripes that is, to speak of her scourging, because she had scourged herself many times. And as so I can judge from what she told me, which this light had lasted two or three repeated good Miserere that is to say, Psalm fifty-one. We have no cause to believe that there is any illusion in all this, because she is quite foreign to deceit and very humble.

We have every reason to believe that it is a grace granted from Our Lord to His faithful servant, who is entirely His. She had served Him with an innocence and fervour, which was capable of ravishing the Angels. And to have satisfied her, I was obliged to give her a discipline and a little belt of iron, which she had employed from that time forth and to place an end to her extreme thirst of suffering. If I had left her to herself in this matter, she would have soon have surpassed the others. She would chastise herself unmercifully, but her strength was not nearly equal to her courage. It was necessary to moderate her courage that as to not exhaust her strength. And even though of all the precautions I had taken that she was able to evade me at times, which had happened that same winter on the Feast of the Purification, Thursday February 2, 1679. She had imitated the Holy Ceremonies of the Church of which processions were customary to that day. She gave Our Lady some proof of the love she endured for Her that is, Catherine had walked around her field and it was actually long while she recited the Rosary several times and buried up to her waist in the snow.

In her great and glorious title of virgin, which Catherine was more blessed than the others. She attained a higher place among the Natives of the Sault and all of those, who had embraced the Faith in Northern France. She was the first in the New World, which from a particular inspiration of the Holy Spirit that had consecrated her virginity to Our Lord. Catherine had from a pure choice and ardent desire to please God had embraced this condition so perfect in it and so sublime. The Son of God had said of virtue and merit that in comparing them to the Angels in Heaven, “For in the Resurrection they do not marry and are not given in marriage, but are like Angels in Heaven” (Matthew 22:30).