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

Chapter 15

After having recounted at length the life and virtues of this Iroquois virgin, I have now come to her death. If Catherine Tekakwitha had died where she was born, which I would take the words of the Sage and say of her what he had said of the just man that is to say, she was taken from this world in the springtime of her life from a very particular act of providence from God. And in time, this innocent soul should become contaminated by the corruption of her country, which He hastened to remove her from the iniquities that surrounded her. Although Catherine had ended her life gloriously in a Mission that was then very fervent and because of this, which I would prefer to take the other thought of the Sage. And to say with him that Catherine had left this earth only, because she was ready to be in Heaven. She achieved her purpose, being content enough to accomplish in only four years what others had difficulty in bringing about after many years and reaching a great age.

Catherine was small and walked with a limp, because of an injury in her foot when she was nineteen years old. She was very infirm and nearly always ill, which about a year before her death that a great illness had left her with a slow fever and a severe pain in her stomach. This had been accompanied with frequent vomiting that was caused without doubt from her continual work, night vigils, fastings and other excessive austerities and especially of her poor eyesight. These excessive austerities that she had continued without ever ceasing until her death and as a final proof, which I remember the agonizing mat of thorns that this generous girl lessened her remaining health. The fever had made it all this worse, because finally obliging her to have kept on her mat and at the end of two months that it took her from us. Her last days were truly precious days of grace and holiness for Catherine, because she had passed them in the exercise of all those excellent virtues, which she had so practiced during her lifetime and never shone so brilliantly as at her death. At the time of her death, we saw her Faith, hope, charity, humility, gentleness, patience, resignation and her surprising happiness in the midst of her suffering.

Father Chauchetiere had the charge of the sick, which he visited Catherine everyday in her cabin during her last illness and the Father could not enough admire her. He had always found her with a smiling face. This clearly showed the peace of her soul and pleasure, which she had found in her pains. We must not be astonished at that of this holy girl, which having lived on the Cross with her Saviour and Spouse that she had the joy to follow His example from dying on the Cross.

While all the men were at the hunt and the women, who remained in the village were occupied from morning until night in the forest or in the fields. They would leave their sick alone all day with a plate of sagamite and a little water within their reach. In this abandoned condition, Catherine had passed her time during her last illness. And what was ordinary a cause of pain and annoyance for the others that were sick, which was for her an occasion of new merit and even of new consolation. She had known to profit from all things, because she had accustomed herself for a long time to converse with God. She had employed of this solitude to attach herself more to Him and to become more inflamed with His love.

In her innermost soul, she was delighted in her God with an abundance of joy and spiritual satisfaction that were the most pure, because she was detached from worldly affairs. And to bring these to the source of her delight, which she went to the chapel every day until she was not able to move, because her centre of affection was the Holy Eucharist. She would adore Him and pass entire hours in gentle company with Him that held such a charm for her, even though of her great weakness. When it was not capable of her to do this, which she had made her Stations of the Cross of the Passion of Christ there in spirit and uniting herself to the perpetual Sacrifice of our altars with a continual sacrifice for her entire self to Our Saviour.

It would take too long to explain the extent of her patience, humility, obedience, simplicity, faithfulness, her union with God, the greatness of her devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to her Guardian Angel. She excelled so greatly in all the virtues and she gave us such rare examples of these virtues, which it seems as if each one had been her particular virtue. It has happened that so holy of a life was crowned with an exceptional death. It is repeated of Catherine, which in a short time that she had fulfilled for a long time that is, she was already ripe for Heaven. And from what she did in the four years after Baptism, which others had difficulty in achieving during a very long life. Catherine had ended her life in the flower of her youth, because she was only twenty-four years old when she left it.

When the time of her last moments had approached that her strength was becoming weaker until the beginning of Holy Week, which was Palm Sunday. God had wanted to take her from this world so that she could go, as we have every reason to believe, to celebrate the following feast days with the Angels.

On Tuesday morning seeing that she was approaching death, which we gave her the Holy Viaticum or the last Holy Communion. All of the Natives at the village had accompanied the Blessed Sacrament to Catherine’s cabin. They were charmed from such edifying piety. She had received the Sacrament with an angelic love and devotion, which was as a true spouse of Our Lord.

Those recent converts that were in her cabin could not hold back their tears, because they were the witnesses of a great virtue. I had wanted at the same time to give her the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, which is the anointing of the sick when they are at the verge of death, but she had told me there was then no pressing necessity. And from what she said, I thought to defer it to Wednesday morning. The divine Saviour was no sooner with her that she renewed all the offerings, which she had made to Him and communicating deep sentiments of gratefulness for the great graces received from Him and especially at the Mission. Catherine had passed the remainder of the day and the following night in conversing gently and fervently with Our Saviour, Our Lady and her crucifix. She had repeated the acts that she was so accustomed to in her days of health.

On Wednesday morning, she received Extreme Unction with the same devotion, which she had received the Holy Viaticum on the preceding day. At three o’clock in the afternoon that the bell was rung to gather the Natives, who they had desired passionately to witness the death of this great servant of God. After three hours after noon, which Catherine had entered into an agony that was the most gentle in the world.

A short half hour after her agony that she had pronounced the Holy Names, “Iesos! Wari!” Then a slight spasm had come about at the side of her mouth and she entirely lost the vigour of speech, but as her hearing was still very good and fully conscience until her last breath. It was evident that she had tried to make with her heart, which were at least those acts that I suggested to her during these last moments. She died peacefully and as if she had entered into a light sleep. This blessed soul had left her virgin body to go with her beloved Spouse. Catherine Tekakwitha had died in the twenty-fourth year of her life on Wednesday of Holy Week at three o’clock in the afternoon. She was to celebrate in Heaven with Him the triumphs of the Cross, which she had so much loved and attached her heart, affections, chaste and virgin body through this life of mortification. Then her face had suddenly changed, which appeared so smiling and devout that everyone was extremely astonished. We were all admiring her face, as we could not have tired ourselves looking at her.

The day Catherine had died that we passed with an extraordinary devotion. Immediately, she had left the entire village with a fragrance of her virtue and esteem for sanctity, and especially as a few hours later when I eulogized her at the evening prayers, which I had made the Natives known of the treasure that they possessed and lost before they came to know her.

Father Chauchetiere and I had remarked the two loves of Catherine, which were Our Lord hidden in the Holy Eucharist and Our Lord Jesus nailed to the Cross. And through a particular providence from God, she gave her precious soul to her heavenly Spouse on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Although it was a little before the days when are celebrated the Institution of the Bread of Life and the Death of the Saviour.

Her virgin body was buried the following day at three o’clock in the afternoon. She was buried in the midst of tears from all, who wept not as much from sorrow, but with a public joy that was inspired in the entire village from her holy life. Their hope was that they would have a powerful patroness in Heaven. We had made her funeral with great sentiments of veneration, esteem, joy and piety. And a joy increased from having Catherine as an influential intercessor near God and her precious remains that they have always venerated.

She is the support, bulwark and the guiding spirit of this Mission. These were the sentiments pronounced from Father Fremin when he had heard of the death of Catherine on his return from France, where he went this year concerning the affairs of the Sault. Catherine Tekakwitha had died as she lived that is to say, as a Saint. It was to be expected that such a Holy Life, which would be followed with a most Holy Death, because she was filled with the Holy Spirit.