Honoring St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s legacy and Jake Finkbonner’s journey

By Caitlin Burm

If you look around parishes within the Diocese of Tucson, you will likely see groups of beautifully diverse parishioners, united together in their faith and history. The church’s presence here can be traced back to 1690, when Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, a Jesuit missionary from Italy, brought the Good News to the Indigenous Mexican, Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O'odham people of this region. The small communities and missions that Padre Kino established in Tucson served as the foundation for the Church that would come, a mission diocese comprised of 400,000 Catholics in nine counties today. Although we are a distinct people, we are one in Christ, and with the patron saints who intercede on our behalf. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is one of those saints who hold a special place within the hearts and minds of the faithful in this Diocese.
 
St. Kateri Tekakwitha was the daughter of an Algonquin Catholic mother and Mohawk War Chief and lived from 1656-1680 in what is present-day New York. By the time she was four, she had lost both of her parents and a brother in a smallpox epidemic, a disease which impacted her health as well, leaving her half blind and disfigured. She was adopted by her uncle and his wife, who gave her the name "Tekakwitha," which means, "she goes putting things in order" in the Mohawk language. Then, at 20, she sought Baptism from the Jesuit missionaries who visited her village. She was baptized with the name Kateri or “Catherine,” and was said to have found her true mission in life, becoming a woman of intense prayer, penance and works of charity. Whenever she was seen going about, it was to visit the elderly, poor or sick, or to teach catechism to children. Unfortunately, in 1680, St. Kateri’s health was failing, and she soon passed away. Her final words were stated to be, “Jesus, Mary, I love you,” according to Jesuit priests. After her death, these priests noticed that her face began to change physically, with her smallpox scars having disappeared. The priests later published her account in 1715. 

More than 200 years after St. Kateri’s death, in 1884, a petition was initiated by United States Catholics at the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, advocating for her canonization to sainthood. Over 900 Native Americans signed letters in both Canada and the U.S., urging her canonization in 1885, with St. Kateri being granted the title of Servant of God and declared “Venerable” by Pope Pius XII in 1939 (the first step towards canonization as a saint). She was then beatified and recognized as “Blessed” 40 years later, in 1980, by Pope John Paul II (the second step towards canonization as a saint).
 
In 2006, a 5-year-old Lummi boy from Washington state, Jake Finkbonner, was lying near death, having contracted group A Streptococcus (strep A bacteria) that caused necrotizing fasciitis on his face. He was in and out of surgery, with his doctors reportedly believing he was incurable. At the suggestion of Finkbonner’s family pastor at the time, Rev. Tim Sauer, Finkbonner’s parents, Donny and Elsa, their families, and Finkbonner’s class at Assumption Catholic School in Bellingham, Washington, began praying for the intercession of then-Blessed Kateri. Soon, Sister Kateri Mitchell, a member of the Sisters of St. Anne, visited the Finkbonner family and placed a relic of Blessed Kateri on Jake in the hospital. Miraculously, the infection stopped, and he began to heal, making a complete recovery. Finkbonner’s healing was the miracle needed to elevate Blessed Kateri to sainthood. She was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, with then 12-year-old Finkbonner, his parents and his sisters in Rome for the celebration.

The New Outlook had the opportunity to connect with the Finkbonner family and asked how Jake is doing today, more than 20 years later. Jake’s mother, Elsa Finkbonner states, “Jake has just recently moved to Seattle. He is working as a Sterile Processing Technician at the University of Washington. He is still planning to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor.” She adds:

“St. Kateri is still very much a part of our lives. We recently participated in a dedication to her newly made statue in Yakima, Washington, at the Ahtanum St. Joseph Mission. We still pray for her intercession on behalf of all our children as they are all still in the process of completing their higher education.”

 
Much like Padre Kino, St. Kateri is known for her integration of culture and unwavering commitment to her faith, spending her life dedicated to “putting things in order” for others. Saint Kateri’s feast day is today, July 14, and she is the patron saint of ecology, the environment and Native Americans. She continues to be a powerful symbol of faith and resilience for Catholics around the world. Within the Diocese of Tucson, she is featured prominently at both St. Kateri Tekakwitha and San Xavier del Bac Missions, as well as other parishes across the Diocese. St. Kateri's example encourages us to embrace our unique identities while uniting in our shared faith. 

May St. Kateri continue to guide and inspire us, reminding us of the power of faith and the importance of caring for one another and our environment. 

Her legacy lives on in the hearts of the faithful, a symbol of hope and resilience for generations to come.