Kateri House

The Kateri House crest is comprised of four symbols that represent St. Kateri’s life and her profound example of faith. The arrowhead is a symbol of the Mohawk people.  The white lily, a traditional symbol of chastity in religious art, recalls the vow of perpetual virginity St. Kateri made near the end of her short life. 

St. Kateri was deeply devoted to the cross. She is often pictured gazing at a cross or holding one. The cross we chose for our crest is the same cross found on the seal of the Society of Jesus, which can be seen on the Jogues House crest, because Jesuit missionaries evangelized St. Kateri and supported her conversion.  The cross is green because St. Kateri is a patron saint of the environment, and the blue cloth draped around the cross is a symbol of her personal suffering.

St. Kateri is the patron saint of Native Americans. The feathers are a symbol of Native American spirituality; there are three to express her faith in the Holy Trinity.

At the age of four, St. Kateri lost her family to smallpox. She was also a victim to the disease, which left her vision damaged and her face badly scarred. St. Kateri would cover her face with a blue shawl to hide the scars. These scars miraculously disappeared when she died.

The Kateri House mascot is the mustang, a wild horse domesticated by Native Americans.