For 36 years, children and adults of all ages, races and creeds have come to visit the Kateri Environmental Center in Collier Services, Marlboro, to learn more about the wonders of nature by walking as the saintly Mohawk maiden did – gently on the land.

On Oct. 7, scores of people are expected to follow in her footsteps once again as they gather at the center, located at 160 Conover Road in the Morganville section of the township, for a day-long celebration of her impending canonization by Pope Benedict in Rome, Oct. 21.

The festival will begin with a Mass at 11 a.m. celebrated by Father Ronald J. Cioffi, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Keyport, in the Chapel of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. The day will continue with Native American drumming and dancing by performers from the Red Hawk Native American Arts Council, N.Y., said Pat Heaney, a naturalist for more than 30 years at Kateri Environmental Center, who helped plan the day.

There will also be storytelling, crafts, hiking, children’s games and Native American style foods such as ‘three sisters corn soup’ – a vegetable concoction of corn, beans and squash and corn bread, available for sale at the snack bar, said Heaney. Souvenir commemorative pins of the canonization will also be for sale.

She noted that participants will be able to make a craft keepsake of the saint with her picture on it and they will also be able to take a guided walk through the forest where they will be able to stop at different spots along the way that highlight the story of her life. 

According to pious tradition, Kateri – prounounced Gaderi Dega’gwita in Mohawk – was born near the town of Auriesville, N.Y., in 1656, the daughter of Kenneronkwa, a Mohawk chief, and Tagaskouita, a Catholic Algonquin maiden who had been adopted in the tribe after she was captured by the Mohawks.

When Kateri was four years old, her mother died of smallpox which also attacked the child, nearly blinding her and disfiguring her face.

Kateri converted to Catholicism as a teenager and was baptized at 20, incurring the great hostility of her tribe. Although she suffered greatly for her faith, she is reported to have remained firm in it. She spent the remaining years of her life in a Christian colony of Indians in Canada where she dedicated her existence to prayer, penitential practices and care for the sick and aged.

She died on April 17, 1680 at the age of 24.

Known as the Lily of the Mohawks, Kateri is the first Native American to be declared Blessed, and will be the first native American canonized a saint.  Another holy woman from upstate New York, Mother Marianne Cope of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, will be canonized on the same day in Rome.

Heaney recalled how the environmental center was named in Kateri’s honor because Sister of the Good Shepherd Dorothy Ryan, its founder, had a profound devotion to her.

“It was Sister Dorothy’s idea to name it after her because (Blessed) Kateri was a Native American who lived out in nature and spent a great deal of time in the forest. She got her food and water and everything she needed from nature, from her heritage.”

The center, which offers year-round educational and recreational activities for children and families, encourages a love of nature and respect for the environment. The programs cover a wide range of environmental topics, incorporating fun and adventure into each activity, Heaney said.

All programs use the resources of Collier Youth Services’ 260-acre campus where the center is located, including a pond, stream, fields and miles of nature trails, Heaney noted.

The free event is open to the public but pre-registration is required because the chapel only seats about 150 people, said Heaney.

To make reservations, or to purchase a commemorative pin for $5, call Heaney at 732-946-9694 or visit www.collieryouthservices.org.