Canadians gather in Rome for St. Kateri

Archbishop Smith offers Mass of Thanksgiving after saints canonization

First Nations pilgrims gather in Rome for the canonization of St.Kateri
Tekakwitha. Paul Haring / CNS.

The B.C. Catholic has a story by Deborah Gyapong about the homily given by Archbishop Richard Smith in Rome following St. Kateri's canonization:

St. Kateri teaches us our response in faith to Jesus Christ brings healing, said Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith at a Thanksgiving Mass in Rome Oct. 22.

“Among the most striking aspects of her witness is the miraculous transformation of her face soon after her death,” said the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) in his homily at Saint John Lateran, Rome’s cathedral church. “From the age of four terribly scarred by the smallpox, her face was restored to its original beauty only minutes after she had died.”

Archbishop Smith noted Kateri said “Jesus, I love you,” just before she died, showing how her response to Christ’s love preceded the healing.

“How greatly do we need this lesson from Kateri today!” he said. “We may not bear physical scars, but so many today carry deep emotional and psychological ones.”

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.