“From this time forward they became one in heart and soul, and were inseparable until Katharine’s death, after which she was always in her companion’s mind... They could be seen going to the woods, fields, and everywhere together, avoiding meeting with other girls and women. This they did not only to avoid the trivial affairs of the village, but also in order not to swerve from their devotions... Their conversations were as so many spiritual conferences, in which they disclosed to each other their lives, their desires, and their slightest trials, in order to encourage each other to remain firm under all conditions and to suffer something for Our Lord. Several times during the week they went deep into the woods and there chastised their shoulders with rods, as Katharine had been doing by herself for a long time.” (Cholenec 81)
- Pierre Cholenec’s account of Saint Katharine Tekakwitha
---
Analysis
The above passage
recounts the friendship between Katharine Tekakwitha and Mary Teresa
Tegaiaguenta, both Christian converted Iroquois women. The text, in
full, alludes to the seemingly mystical way the two women met and how
their faith ignited a strong and everlasting bond. Since Katharine
was chaste, she took no male companion. While her relationship with
Mary Teresa was not romantic its intensity would have filled this
gap, and she praised God for the meeting and strength of the
relationship. As stated in the excerpt after Katharine's death she
still remained wholly in Mary Teresa's mind, even though this
presented a powerful loss.
~ Lacie Lussier
No comments:
Post a Comment