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

Chapter 2

In 1674, Father Jacques de Lamberville had come to the village of Gandaouage and was given the charge of the Chapel of Saint Peter. Tekakwitha had not heard of his instructions and felt a great desire to become a Christian. However, because she was kept back perhaps from fear of her uncle, who joined in the opposition to the Christians, or modesty itself had made her too timid that prevented from disclosing her sentiments to the Father. God had seen to it, which she had the means of satisfying her desire when she least thought of it.

The Father was guided from God to the village of our young Iroquois and received orders from his Superiors to remain there.

It was autumn 1675, and most of the women were in the fields for the harvest of the corn. Tekakwitha had received an injury in the foot and made her stay in the village. Her aunts entrusted her with the care of the longhouse and all the domestic affairs while they were in the fields. She would spend the days in solitude. The Father had chosen this time to go to visit the longhouses and instruct to his leisure those, who remained in the longhouses. One day, when making these afternoon customary visits at the longhouses and having already passed hers, because he believed no one to be there, which he had felt an inspiration to turn back and enter there.

The Father was most edified by her modesty and of her timidness, but he was even more so when he had spoken with her and had learned what a virtuous life she led. He had spoken to her of Christianity and because he found her so docile, which he pressed her to be instructed and to attend the chapel. She was overjoyed, because she had found her long desired occasion for embracing the Christian Faith. After she recovered from her injury, which she had done with assiduity her attendance at the chapel.

When he had found her so faithful, whom he inquired about her conduct in her longhouse and everyone had spoken well of her. In truth, he saw that she had none of the vices of the girls of her age and this encouraged him to instruct her regularly. The Father had seen clearly that the Holy Spirit enlightened the eyes of her soul to see the truth of our religion and to touch her heart to embrace it. After his first conversion with Tekakwitha, he believed seeing God had a great intention for this girl, because of this reason that he had resolved and promised to grant the grace she ardently desired of being baptized.

After passing the entire winter in having taught her the prayers, teaching her thoroughly and preparing her to receive this Sacrament, which the Father appointed a day to be baptized. Father de Lamberville had foreseen the great profits that his new Church might bring from Baptism of a girl of her character. He wanted to confer it solemnly on the Feast of the Resurrection, Sunday April 5, 1676, which was the most splendid day of the year. On this great day, he baptized her in the presence of all the Christians from the village, where he had assembled them and so as to render the ceremony more impressive. Tekakwitha had knelt while surrounded with catechumens and those newly converts. She listened to the Father instructing her of the importance of the occasion. After the usual inquiries and prayers that he had conferred on her the Baptism.

He baptized her with the name of Catherine. Although a name already consecrated from the purity of many holy virgins, but she had given greater glory. Then everyone had witnessed the modesty and devotion, which she showed during the ceremony and they made evident the great joy they had in this Baptism. They had esteemed themselves fortunate in having possessed among their small number a person that was perfect and greatly admired in the village. They did not only hope from her piety, which she would adorn the religion that she had just embraced, but she would have many others to follow her example. It did not take a long time to see that they were justified in the favourable opinion everyone had formed in this matter. Catherine had not only justified their hope, but surpassed it from the fervour she showed after Baptism and one had reason to believe that the Holy Spirit filled with His grace a soul, which was disposed to receive it from an innocence of life and could be said was angelic.

All these beautiful virtuous dispositions shone forth as soon as she was obliged to appear in public and assist at the common exercises of piety with those recent converts, since until then she had confined to her longhouse. Her own character was perfect from the beginning, which she had surpassed soon everyone and in less than a few months became to her companions a model of humility, devotion, sweetness, charity and all of the other Christian virtues. If one had respected her in the beginning, this same person would soon have felt admiration of a virtue from her so young and already so solid. In this manner, some months had passed away very peacefully.

In the beginning, even her relatives did not seem to disapprove of her new course of life that she was leading. The Holy Spirit has made aware to us through the mouth of Wisdom that when the faithful soul begins to unite itself to God, which this soul should prepare for temptation and this was proved to be true in Catherine’s instance. Her extraordinary virtue brought upon her the persecutions even of those, who they had admired her. They looked upon her life as so pure, but being a tacit reproach to their manner of living, which they had the intention of harming her reputation and attempted through several deceptions to throw a taint upon her purity.

Catherine’s confidence in God, the distrust she felt of herself, her faithfulness in prayer and the consideration for the feelings of others, which had made her fear even the shadow of a sin and gave her a perfect victory over the enemies of her innocence. The exactness with that she had showed on the feast days at the chapel was the cause of another storm. This had come upon her on the part of her relatives. The Rosary was recited from two choirs in an exercise of these holy days of which Catherine never neglected this exercise. The hymns and the Sacred Canticles are learnt immediately and chanted by the Natives, which in them the women excel. This sort of psalmody awakens the attention of those newly converts and animates their devotion. They sing very well and very devotedly, which they have a fine ear, a good voice and a rare taste of music. They, whom we would hear yelling in the forest when they sing in their own manner.

They had taken it bad in her longhouse, because on these particular days that Catherine abstained from going to work with the others in the field. After a while, they came with unpleasant words and cast upon her the reproach, which Christianity had made her effeminate and accustomed her to an indolent life. They did not even allow her anything to eat and oblige her through means of famine, because they wanted her to follow her relatives and to aid them in their labour. Catherine had endured their reproach and their contempt with faithfulness. She preferred in those days to do without nourishment, which not to have violated the law that required the observance of the feast days and the ordinary practices of piety. This firmness that could not be changed would especially trouble her relatives more and more.

Whenever she went to the chapel that they caused her to be followed with showers of stones cast from drunken people or whom feigned to be. This extended even to the children, who had pointed their fingers at her and in derisive shouts called her the Christian. Although to avoid their insults that she was often obliged to take the most circuitous paths.

One day, she returned to her longhouse that a young man entered abruptly with his raging eyes and with a hatchet in his hand. He raised it as if to strike her and perhaps without any other purpose than to frighten her. Whatever might have been the intention of the Native, which Catherine had contented herself with modesty and bowing her head without showing the least emotion. This fearlessness was not expected and astonished the Native. Immediately, he left and as if he was terrified from some invisible power. It was these trials of patience and piety, which Catherine had to spend the summer and autumn that followed her Baptism.

The winter had brought her a little more tranquillity. Although she was not freed from suffering some crosses with one of her aunts. Her aunt was of a deceitful and of a menacing spirit. She could not endure the regular life of her niece and they had constantly condemned her and even in actions with the most indifferent words. It is a custom among the Natives, which uncles would give the name of daughter to their nieces, who in turn would call their uncles with the name of father. However, it had happened once or twice that Catherine called the husband of her aunt with his proper name, but without any intention. This evil spirit had needed nothing further as the foundation to cause a most atrocious calumny. This woman had pretended to believe that this manner of expression by Catherine was an evidence of an intimacy.

She went to search the Missionary, because to accuse her to him and place an end in his mind for the sentiments of esteem that he always had of Catherine. Father de Lamberville understood the evil spirit of this sort and learning what had given occasion to this hateful suspicion, which he gave a severe rebuke and sent her away completely confounded. Later, he had mentioned it to Catherine, who showed her absence of all falsehood when she replied with openness and confidence. Catherine declared that from the kindness of Our Lord, which she could not remember if she even stained the purity of herself and would not fear receiving any reproach on this view in the day of judgement. It was on this occasion that she had declared it and perhaps we should not have known of this if she had not been placed on trial.