As you enter St. Regis Mission Church in Akwesasne, New York, you see on the right of the interior entranceway a wooden plaque: “Prayer to Saint Kateri.” The first stanza reads: “O Saint Kateri / Lily of the Mohawks, your love for / Jesus, so strong, so steadfast, / Grant that we may become one like you.” We at St. Kateri’s share with St. Regis Mission Church, our Sister Parish, this same devotion to St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Located about 225 miles north of Niskayuna, St. Regis Mission Church on the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation overlooks the junction of the St. Regis River and the St. Lawrence River. The parish was founded in 1755 by French Catholic priests during the French and Indian War, a period during which the Mohawk Indians held alliances with both the French and the British. The name St. Regis comes from the Jesuit St. Jean-Francois Regis, a zealous priest who worked with the downtrodden and exploited in France. His great dream was to travel to Canada to preach the Gospel to the natives. He died before his dream was fulfilled. The Mohawk Indians had heard of Father Jean Francis Regis, who was canonized in 1737, from Father Pierre Billiard who arrived in Akwesasne in 1752 and would become the first pastor of St. Regis. According to historian Sister Mary Taylor, the Mohawks “were happy to pray for the protection of their new home mission” and share in honoring the Saint by naming the Church St. Regis Mission Church. To the native parishioners of St. Regis Mission Church, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Indian, has served and continues to serve as the central unifying force bringing together the Catholic Faith and Mohawk traditions. Her presence is palpable at St. Regis in the statues, the prayers, and the devotion of the parishioners to St. Kateri. The parishioners played a major role in advocating for the canonization of St. Kateri by championing her story to the larger world. Parishioners from St. Regis were present at her canonization, with a highlight occurring when a member of the parish read the Prayer of the Faithful in the native Mohawk language. Billie and Ed Cano and I spent a day this past fall visiting the parish of St. Regis Mission Church. We had lunch with their pastor Father Jerome Pastores and a number of parishioners. We were given a tour of the grounds, the Church, and the food pantry, and we stayed for afternoon Mass. Father Jerome and the staff are excited about sharing their Faith, infused with the Mohawk traditions and customs, with us. We too are eager to grow together in our Faith journey with the St. Regis Mission Church family, and in our understanding and appreciation of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, “Lily of the Mohawks, Pride and Glory of the New World, and Patroness of Peace and Ecology.”