Tekakwitha "She who walks hesitantly"
Kateri, Catherine in French, is the name she received at her baptism, at the age of 20, in honor of Catherine of Siena. At birth her mother gave her the name Clarté-du-Ciel (Uasheshkun). We know that at the age of 4, smallpox left permanent marks on her face and made her almost blind. She wore a shawl over her head and had to use it to protect her eyes from the sun. She then received the name of Tekakwitha. This word means "one who walks hesitantly," or also "she who has to remove the things in front of her and who needs to walk slowly and gropingly."
Yet it is she who is responsible for the healing of a boy in Seattle in 2006. In December 2011, after five years of study on the case, the Vatican recognized the healing, required for the canonization of Kateri. It is Jake Finkbonner, a six year old youngster, the son of an Indian and an American. He was wounded to the lip while playing basketball. Things got complicated and his wound ibecame infected by the flesh-eating bacteria, attacking his eye and into his brain. Completely disfigured, he underwent 29 operations to his face, to repair the damage, and that without being able to prevent the disease from progressing. The doctors asserted that he could not survive. In his entourage, it was suggested to pray Kateri, who herself had lived with the permanent marks of smallpox on her face. The same day, the disease stopped.
Jake is now 12 years old. He says he would not be there without the intervention of Kateri. He is also very grateful to the doctors who treated him and without whom he would not have survived either. He was in Rome for the canonization of Kateri, on October 21st, 2012. It is interesting to note that the young Finkbonner had created his own website. We could see photographs of his face before and after his illness.
Is it not peculiar that Kateri' has healed Jake's face? We know that hers was marked by smallpox and at her death, her face changed completely. Any trace of the illness disappeared, which surprised many around her. She did the same for Jake!
Is it not peculiar, even paradoxical "she who walks hesitantly" became a guide that illuminates our path?
Josée Lacoursière
Article from the website Tendances et Enjeu (Trends and Issue), published on October 20, 2012, and adapted for this publication.