Saint Kateri National Shrine

About the Shrine

The Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine & Historic Site is a sacred place of peace and healing, dedicated to the first Native American saint, Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680). Although physically located within the Diocese of Albany, it is owned and operated as a ministry of the Franciscan Friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province (Order of Friars Minor Conventual) and is steered by an Advisory Council modeled on Haudenosaunee examples of consensus-based decision-making. The Shrine is Catholic in identity, but ecumenical in welcome: people of all faiths are invited to visit, pray, and learn.

History and Archaeology of Caughnawaga

Founded in 1938 by Father Thomas Grassmann, OFM Conv., as the Fonda Memorial of Catherine Tekakwitha, the Shrine grew out of an extraordinary archaeological discovery: the only completely excavated Iroquois/Haudenosaunee village in the world. Between 1950 and 1956, Grassmann and the New York State Archaeological Association unearthed a 15-to-18-foot double wooden stockade and 12 elm-bark longhouses of the Mohawk Turtle Clan, home to roughly 300 people between 1666 and 1693. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and on the New York State Register of Historic Places.

• 1938: Fonda Memorial of Catherine Tekakwitha founded
• 1950–1956: excavation of the Caughnawaga village site
• 1973: Caughnawaga Castle Site listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• 1980: site elevated to National Shrine after Kateri's beatification
• 1984: Blessed Kateri Retreat and guest house established
• 2012: Kateri Tekakwitha canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21
• 2026: 350th anniversary of Kateri's baptism celebrated on April 5

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), known as the "Lily of the Mohawks," was a Mohawk-Algonquin woman born in the village of Ossernenon (modern Auriesville, NY) who converted to Christianity and was baptized on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1676, at the Jesuit mission chapel near the village of Caughnawaga. She fled persecution and migrated to a Jesuit mission south of Montréal, where she died at age 24. In 2012 she became the first Native North American saint, and is honored as patroness of peace, ecology, the environment, Native peoples, and the integrity of creation.

• Feast Day: July 14
• Canonized: October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI
• Beatified: June 22, 1980, by Pope John Paul II
• Patronage: peace, ecology, the environment, Native peoples, integrity of creation

Buildings and Grounds

The Shrine's centerpiece is Saint Peter's Chapel, housed in a Dutch barn built by Simon Veeder in 1782 on the family farmstead. Veeder's 1782 farmhouse now serves as the Conventual Franciscan friary; the lower level of the barn is the Caughnawaga-Veeder Museum of Native American art and artifacts. Newer buildings include Grassmann Hall and the Shrine office, the Saint Maximilian Kolbe Pavilion (used for Mass), the year-round Candle Chapel, the gift shop, and the maintenance facilities. The 130-acre grounds include an outdoor sanctuary, a grotto, and a network of hiking trails threading woodland and meadow.

• Saint Peter's Chapel (in 1782 Veeder Dutch barn)
• Caughnawaga-Veeder Museum (lower level of barn)
• Friary (Veeder farmhouse)
• Grassmann Hall and Shrine office
• Saint Maximilian Kolbe Pavilion
• Candle Chapel (year-round, 24/7)
• Gift Shop
• Outdoor sanctuary and grotto
• 130 acres of hiking trails

Devotions and Special Events

The Shrine's devotional life centers on Kateri's witness of peace, ecology, and reconciliation. Annual events include the Feast Day weekend in July (with the Traditional Purification Rite, Solemn Blessing with the relic of Saint Kateri, Burning of Prayer Petitions, and music by the Akwesasne Mohawk Choir), a World Peace and Prayer Day service, an annual prayer and healing service, an Easter Mass and walk to the Kateri Spring, and a Mass of Remembrance on the All Souls Vigil in November. Smudging ceremonies with sage, cedar, sweet grass, and tobacco are led by Native members of the advisory council.

• Saint Kateri Feast Day Weekend (July 14)
• Traditional Purification Rite and Solemn Blessing with the relic
• Burning of Prayer Petitions
• Akwesasne Mohawk Choir
• World Peace and Prayer Day
• Prayer and Healing Service
• Easter Mass and Kateri Spring pilgrimage (smudging ceremony)
• All Souls Vigil Mass of Remembrance

Staff and Leadership

The Shrine is staffed by Conventual Franciscan friars and a small lay operations team under the direction of the Director of Operations. The Advisory Council, modeled on Haudenosaunee consensus decision-making, helps steward the Shrine's ministry and outreach.

• Father John Ruffo, OFM Conv. — 2025 Chaplain
• Melissa Miscevic Bramble — Director of Operations
• Sev (Sara) Marshall — Operations Assistant
• Russell VanAlstyne — Property Manager
• Advisory Council (consensus-based, Haudenosaunee model)

Caughnawaga-Veeder Museum

Housed in the lower level of the 1782 Veeder barn, the Caughnawaga-Veeder Museum (formerly the Mohawk-Caughnawaga Indian Museum) holds permanent exhibits of Native American art and archaeological artifacts recovered from the excavation of the Caughnawaga village site, including objects from the fortified stockade and the 12 elm-bark longhouses. The museum is open daily during the summer season.

• Permanent exhibits of Native American art and antiquities
• Artifacts from the Caughnawaga dig
• Open daily in summer, 9 AM – 5 PM

Pilgrimage, Trails, and the Kateri Spring

Pilgrims are invited to walk the same woodland landscape Kateri knew. The Shrine's network of hiking trails — including the Caughnawaga Village (Blue) Trail — winds through 130 acres of meadow and forest, linking the chapel and museum to the Kateri Spring (the source of Kateri's baptismal water) and the Caughnawaga Village archaeological site on the hill above. Visitors may collect water from the spring and walk through the staked outlines of the longhouses and stockade. Trail access is year-round at dawn to dusk, weather permitting.

• Kateri Spring (baptismal water source)
• Caughnawaga Village archaeological site (NRHP, 1973)
• Caughnawaga Village (Blue) Trail
• 130 acres of woodland and meadow hiking trails

Spiritual Resources and Outreach

The Shrine maintains a Spiritual Resources page offering online prayers, the Rosary of Creation (by Sister Ana Maria Siufi, Sister of Mercy of the Americas), ecological Stations of the Cross materials, and links to nature webcams and daily Mass from the sister Shrine of Saint Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland. Adult faith formation includes Afternoons of Recollection, "Breaking the Silence" suicide awareness discussions, and book studies hosted in the friary.

• Rosary of Creation
• Ecological Way of the Cross (Conventual Franciscan JPIC Commission)
• Stations of the Cross in the Light of Laudato Si'
• Afternoon of Recollection
• Breaking the Silence (suicide awareness)
• Heart-to-Heart book discussions
• Online daily Mass link (Shrine of Saint Anthony)

Getting Involved and Visitor Information

Visitors are warmly welcomed at all seasons. The Shrine is free and open to the public, with parking on site. Group pilgrimages, school field trips, and retreat groups can be coordinated through the Shrine office by emailing [email protected] or calling (518) 853-3646. Mass intentions may be requested online. The Shrine's YouTube channel archives past events and liturgies for those who cannot visit in person.

• Free admission
• Group pilgrimages and field trips by arrangement
• Mass intention requests online
• YouTube channel for archived events