The St. Kateri Heritage Collection

A Rare Connection to One of America's Holiest Catholic Sites

Some treasures are valuable because they are old.

Others are priceless because they carry the story of souls who gave everything for Christ.

The St. Kateri Heritage Collection is one of those rare opportunities to hold a tangible piece of early Catholic history in your hands.

At the heart of this collection is an authentic 17th-century Jesuit-era trade bead, carefully recovered from the historic mission founded by Fr. Jacques Bruyas, S.J., in 1667 among the Oneida people. Working together, the Oneida people constructed a humble chapel dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, where Fr. Bruyas celebrated the first Holy Mass at the mission on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel.

Fr. Bruyas would later become one of the Jesuit missionaries who discovered St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Through his ministry among the Native peoples and his writings, he helped preserve the story of the young Mohawk woman whose heroic virtue would one day lead the Church to recognize her as the first Native American saint.

According to long-held local tradition and the historical movements of the early Christian Native communities, it is widely believed that St. Kateri herself spent time on this very land while living among the Oneida and Huron Christians. To stand where she likely prayed, walked, and worshiped—and to hold a bead recovered from that sacred ground—is to hold a quiet witness to one of the most beautiful chapters of early Catholic evangelization in North America.

For our family, this story is deeply personal.

When Walt and I purchased this property in 2008, we had no idea we were becoming stewards of such sacred history. Over the years, Walt and several of our children—who are passionate avocational archaeologists—have carefully and responsibly recovered numerous 17th-century Jesuit-era artifacts from this historic mission site. Every discovery has been made with profound respect for the land and the remarkable story it preserves.

Among those discoveries are these authentic trade beads, each one a silent witness to the missionaries who left everything behind to bring Christ to these lands, to the Oneida Christians who embraced the Catholic faith with remarkable courage, and to the sacred history of a place where St. Kateri Tekakwitha is widely believed to have spent time.

These are not merely archaeological objects.

They are tangible reminders of the earliest days of the Catholic faith in what would become the United States.

To make this collection even more meaningful, every item has been reverently touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, creating a special devotional connection to the beloved saint whose life continues to inspire countless souls. 

To help support our Giving Missions, which assists children and their families facing serious medical needs, Walt has prayerfully chosen to release a very limited number of these historic beads.

Each St. Kateri Heritage Collection Includes:

✠ An authentic 17th-century Jesuit-era trade bead, carefully recovered by Walt and members of our family during years of respectful avocational archaeological work on this historic mission site, and reverently touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

✠ A beautiful St. Kateri Tekakwitha holy card, touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri.

✠ A St. Kateri Tekakwitha devotional medal, touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri.

This is far more than a collectible.

It is a tangible connection to the missionaries who carried the Gospel into the wilderness, to the Oneida Christians who helped build the first chapel, and to St. Kateri Tekakwitha, who is widely believed to have walked and prayed on this very land.

Whether displayed in your home, placed in your prayer corner, or lovingly passed down through generations, this collection serves as a lasting reminder that holiness leaves traces—not only in history, but in the lives of those who answer God's call.

As a family, we consider ourselves not owners of this history, but stewards of it. It is a privilege to preserve these reminders of our Catholic heritage and, in sharing a small number of them, to help provide hope and practical assistance to children and families facing serious medical needs through our Giving Missions.

"There are places where history was made... and there are places where Heaven quietly touched the earth. We believe this is one of them."

Because these authentic mission-site trade beads were recovered over many years, and because no new supply can ever be created, only a very small number of St. Kateri Heritage Collections will ever be available.

When they are gone, they are gone forever.

Own a genuine piece of America's earliest Catholic history—a devotional keepsake connected to St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Jesuit missionaries, and the Oneida Christians who helped build one of the earliest Catholic missions in North America—all while helping children and families in medical crisis through our Giving Missions.