In the peaceful Mohawk Valley of upstate New York, a modern shrine honors a woman who bridged two worlds. The National Kateri Shrine in Fonda, New York, marks the site where Kateri Tekakwitha—the "Lily of the Mohawks"—was baptized on Easter Sunday, 1676. Here, in what was then the Mohawk village of Caughnawaga, a young woman scarred by smallpox chose the Christian faith against her family's fierce opposition, beginning a journey that would lead to her canonization as the first Native American saint.
Unlike the nearby Auriesville shrine, which commemorates the martyrdom of the Jesuits and Kateri's birth, Fonda celebrates her baptism—the moment she formally entered the Church. The archaeological site preserves the outline of the village where she lived her first twenty years. The shrine's small museum houses artifacts from the Mohawk period and documents Kateri's path to sainthood. For pilgrims interested in Native American Catholic heritage, Fonda offers an intimate encounter with St. Kateri's story.
📜 History & Spiritual Significance
Kateri Tekakwitha was born around 1656 at Ossernenon (modern Auriesville). When she was four, a smallpox epidemic killed her parents and brother and left her face scarred and her eyesight damaged. She was raised by relatives who opposed Christianity.
Despite this opposition, Kateri was drawn to the faith. When Jesuit Father Jacques de Lamberville arrived in the village, she sought instruction. On Easter Sunday, April 18, 1676, she was baptized at Caughnawaga (not to be confused with the later mission of the same name in Canada), taking the Christian name Kateri (Catherine).
Her conversion made her an outcast. Family members denied her food on Sundays when she refused to work. Young men tormented her. In 1677, she fled with Christian guides to the Catholic mission at Kahnawake near Montreal, where she lived a life of intense prayer and service until her death on April 17, 1680.
The Fonda shrine was established in 1938 on the archaeological site of the Mohawk village where Kateri was baptized. When Pope Benedict XVI canonized her on October 21, 2012, the shrine became a place of pilgrimage for Catholics seeking her intercession.
☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Fonda
National Kateri Shrine and Historic Site
Site of St. Kateri Tekakwitha's baptism
The shrine includes a chapel dedicated to St. Kateri, a museum documenting her life and the Mohawk heritage of the region, and the archaeological outline of the Mohawk village where she was baptized. The peaceful grounds along the Mohawk River invite contemplation.
🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations
Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha — July 14
Principal celebration with Mass and special programs.
Native American Heritage Day — October
Cultural celebration honoring indigenous Catholic heritage.
🛏️ Where to Stay
Hampton Inn Amsterdam ⭐⭐⭐ — 10 miles west in Amsterdam. Reserve this hotel
🚗 Getting There
By Car: The shrine is located on State Highway 5 between Amsterdam and Fonda, about 40 miles west of Albany.
🔗 Useful Links
National Kateri Shrine — Hours and events.
Diocese of Albany — Diocesan information.
🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations
Auriesville (10 km west) — National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, site of Kateri's birth and the martyrdom of St. Isaac Jogues.
🪶 Closing Reflection
"Jesus, I love you." — St. Kateri Tekakwitha, last words, April 17, 1680
