Just days before Christmas, the Vatican announced that a 17th century Mohawk-Algonquin woman soon would be canonized as a Catholic saint, becoming the first Native American from North America to reach sainthood.
Two miracles are required to certify that a Catholic is in heaven and seeking God to help people who pray in that person’s name. The second miracle in the name of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, who died at 24 in 1680, occurred during 2006, when a five-year-old boy from Washington State recovered from a near death flesh-eating strep infection. The boy’s father is a member of the Lummi tribe and the family’s parish priest urged the boy’s parents to pray to Kateri to seek God’s intervention.
According to the priest, Kateri had been disfigured by smallpox and he thought that she would be able to help the boy recover from the infection to his face and head.
Known as the Lily of the Mohawks, Tekakwitha was born in today’s northern New York. She was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an Algonquin Christian mother. She contracted smallpox as a child during an epidemic that killed her parents and most of the rest of her family. Believers claim the smallpox scares vanished when she died.
Rising Seminary Enrollments
Also just before the celebration of Christmas, the Association of Theological Schools reported that enrollments were rising at seminaries across the country.
At Catholic seminaries, the higher numbers are only part of the positive story that more young men are proclaiming their vocation for priesthood, diaconate and lay ecclesial ministry. The message behind the numbers is that these men are exhibiting a highly robust spirit as part of their calling.
The Theological College in Washington, DC, the national diocesan seminary for the U.S. Catholic Church, reported that its enrollment of 90 seminarians for the 2011-2012 academic year has filled every available position. At the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, 40 seminarians arrived this year. Enrollment, which totals 186, is the highest since the 1970s.
At St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, 30 new seminarians increased the class to 100. This is the largest number of seminarians at the school since 1980. Enrollment has remained steady for five years at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
Orbis Books Recognized For Cone Book
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone and published by Orbis Books has been recognized as one of the top religion books of 2011 by The Huffington Post.
The Cross and the Lynching Tree examines the connection between the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. The book is the continuation and culmination of more than four decades of work. James H. Cone is Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians in America.
Founded during 1970, Orbis Books is the book division of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the foreign mission society of the U.S. Catholic Church. Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind, nourish the spirit and challenge the conscience. Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions of Christian faith and mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religious traditions, and to serve the cause of reconciliation and peace.
Sources
- Vatican Information Service
- Association of Theological Schools
- The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
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