{"product_id":"the-st-kateri-heritage-collection","title":"The St. Kateri Heritage Collection","description":"\u003ch3 data-end=\"107\" data-start=\"41\" data-section-id=\"qc4vjc\"\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003e\u003cem data-end=\"107\" data-start=\"45\"\u003eA Rare Connection to One of America's Holiest Catholic Sites\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"158\" data-start=\"109\"\u003eSome treasures are valuable because they are old.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"250\" data-start=\"160\"\u003eOthers are priceless because they carry the story of souls who gave everything for Christ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"391\" data-start=\"252\"\u003eThe \u003cstrong data-end=\"290\" data-start=\"256\"\u003eSt. Kateri Heritage Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of those rare opportunities to hold a tangible piece of early Catholic history in your hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"811\" data-start=\"393\"\u003eAt the heart of this collection is an \u003cstrong data-end=\"479\" data-start=\"431\"\u003eauthentic 17th-century Jesuit-era trade bead\u003c\/strong\u003e, carefully recovered from the historic mission founded by \u003cstrong data-end=\"575\" data-start=\"538\"\u003eFr. Jacques Bruyas, S.J., in 1667\u003c\/strong\u003e among the Oneida people. \u003cstrong data-end=\"700\" data-start=\"601\"\u003eWorking together, the Oneida people constructed a humble chapel dedicated to St. Francis Xavier\u003c\/strong\u003e, where Fr. Bruyas celebrated the first Holy Mass at the mission on the Feast of \u003cstrong data-end=\"810\" data-start=\"781\"\u003eSt. Michael the Archangel\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1155\" data-start=\"813\"\u003eFr. Bruyas would later become one of the Jesuit missionaries who discovered \u003cstrong data-end=\"928\" data-start=\"903\"\u003eSt. Kateri Tekakwitha\u003c\/strong\u003e. 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 \u003cstrong data-end=\"1154\" data-start=\"1119\"\u003ethe first Native American saint\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1624\" data-start=\"1157\"\u003eAccording to long-held local tradition and the historical movements of the early Christian Native communities, \u003cstrong data-end=\"1398\" data-start=\"1268\"\u003eit is widely believed that St. Kateri herself spent time on this very land while living among the Oneida and Huron Christians.\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1672\" data-start=\"1626\"\u003eFor our family, this story is deeply personal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2107\" data-start=\"1674\"\u003eWhen Walt and I purchased this property in 2008, we had no idea we were becoming stewards of such sacred history. Over the years, \u003cstrong data-end=\"2003\" data-start=\"1804\"\u003eWalt 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every discovery has been made with profound respect for the land and the remarkable story it preserves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2460\" data-start=\"2109\"\u003eAmong 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 \u003cstrong data-end=\"2460\" data-start=\"2396\"\u003eSt. Kateri Tekakwitha is widely believed to have spent time.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2506\" data-start=\"2462\"\u003eThese are not merely archaeological objects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2618\" data-start=\"2508\"\u003eThey are tangible reminders of the earliest days of the Catholic faith in what would become the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3022\" data-start=\"2620\"\u003eTo make this collection even more meaningful, \u003cstrong data-end=\"2756\" data-start=\"2666\"\u003eevery item has been reverently touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha\u003c\/strong\u003e, creating a special devotional connection to the beloved saint whose life continues to inspire countless souls. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3220\" data-start=\"3024\"\u003eTo help support our \u003cstrong data-end=\"3063\" data-start=\"3044\"\u003eGiving Missions\u003c\/strong\u003e, which assists children and their families facing serious medical needs, Walt has prayerfully chosen to release a \u003cstrong data-end=\"3195\" data-start=\"3172\"\u003every limited number\u003c\/strong\u003e of these historic beads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-end=\"3274\" data-start=\"3222\" data-section-id=\"1ghszwh\"\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"3274\" data-start=\"3225\"\u003eEach St. Kateri Heritage Collection Includes:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3546\" data-start=\"3276\"\u003e✠ \u003cstrong data-end=\"3329\" data-start=\"3278\"\u003eAn authentic 17th-century Jesuit-era trade bead\u003c\/strong\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3644\" data-start=\"3548\"\u003e✠ \u003cstrong data-end=\"3597\" data-start=\"3550\"\u003eA beautiful St. Kateri Tekakwitha holy card\u003c\/strong\u003e, touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3739\" data-start=\"3646\"\u003e✠ \u003cstrong data-end=\"3692\" data-start=\"3648\"\u003eA St. Kateri Tekakwitha devotional medal\u003c\/strong\u003e, touched to a first-class relic of St. Kateri.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"3777\" data-start=\"3741\"\u003eThis is far more than a collectible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"4032\" data-start=\"3779\"\u003eIt 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 \u003cstrong data-end=\"4032\" data-start=\"3938\"\u003eSt. Kateri Tekakwitha, who is widely believed to have walked and prayed on this very land.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"4283\" data-start=\"4034\"\u003eWhether 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"4611\" data-start=\"4285\"\u003eAs a family, we consider ourselves not owners of this history, but \u003cstrong data-end=\"4364\" data-start=\"4352\"\u003estewards\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote data-end=\"4756\" data-start=\"4613\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"4756\" data-start=\"4615\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"4756\" data-start=\"4615\"\u003e\"There are places where history was made... and there are places where Heaven quietly touched the earth. We believe this is one of them.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"4973\" data-start=\"4758\"\u003eBecause these authentic mission-site trade beads were recovered over many years, and because no new supply can ever be created, \u003cstrong data-end=\"4973\" data-start=\"4886\"\u003eonly a very small number of St. Kateri Heritage Collections will ever be available.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"5017\" data-start=\"4975\"\u003eWhen they are gone, they are gone forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"5349\" data-start=\"5019\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"5349\" data-start=\"5019\"\u003eOwn 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cukierski Family","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42773939322960,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0205\/9182\/files\/file_00000000c83071f5a061f1556bd65796.png?v=1783809457","url":"https:\/\/www.cukierski.net\/products\/the-st-kateri-heritage-collection","provider":"Cukierski Family","version":"1.0","type":"link"}