Press Release, August 2003:

Statue Honors Catholic Indian - St. Francis Basilica to Add Indian Woman Statue

Santa Fe, NM – A statue of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Catholic American Indian who became known as the Lily of the Mohawks, has been erected in front of Cathedral Church of St. Francis of Asissi in Santa Fe.

The new statue will join one of Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, which is currently the only statue that stands outside the cathedral.

Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan chose Estella Loretto, a Jemez Pueblo sculptor, to create the bronze statue. It was unveiled for the cathedral's 150th anniversary.

A painting of Tekakwitha joins a number of other saints on the church's altar screen.

"The Archbishop would like a statue (of Kateri Tekakwitha) to honor the Native American spirit," Father Jerome Martinez said.

Tekakwitha, born in 1656, was brought up in the Mohawk community of Ossernenon, now Auriesville, N.Y. A part of the turtle clan, she was orphaned at age 4 when both parents and a brother died in a small pox epidemic. The disease affected her eyesight and her health. Her name, Tekakwitha, means "putting things in order."

She was baptized in 1676, when she was 20 and died four years later. After her death, Tekakwitha became known as the "Lily of the Mohawks".

On Jan. 3, 1943, Pope Pius XII declared her venerable, and Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1980. Pope John Paul II also designated Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha as the patroness for World Youth Day 2002 in Canada.

Above: Estella Loretto on the day of the unveiling of her sculpture, "Blessed Kateri", in front of the Cathedral at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Santa Fe, NM.

Read The New York Times article, July 2012

Read "Striped Pot Blog by Elizabeth Rose about her visit to Estella's Gentle Spirit Studio.