History


Kateri Statue
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament Motherhouse
Bensalem, Pennsylvania
1939-1946 Advisory Group of priests to Bishop Aloysius Muench, Fargo, North Dakota
1946-1976 Northern Plains support group of missionary priests
1977 Revitalization of Conference Membership open to Catholic Native Americans and those in ministry with them
1979 Legally incorporated in the State of Montana as a non-profit religious organization. Listed in the Official Catholic Directory.
1980 Beginning of national movement, Beatification of Kateri Tekakwitha in Rome, National Center established in Great Falls, Montana
1983 Beginning of international movement
1987 Pope John Paul II's visit with Native American Catholics in Phoenix, Arizona
1989 First Native American Lay Executive Director, 50th Anniversary of Tekakwitha Conference in Fargo, North Dakota, Recipient of National Council of Catholic Evangelization Pope Paul VI Award
1991-1992 130 Adult & Youth Kateri Circles registered with the National Center
1993 Development of Urban Ministry Outreach Program
1994 Second Native American Lay Executive Director
1995 Pilgrimage to Kateri's Tomb in Kahnawake, Quebec
1998 First year Annual Conference site was hosted in the South in Memphis, Tennessee, First Native American woman Executive Director
1999 60th Anniversary of the National Tekakwitha Conference in Spokane, Washington
2000 Millennium Conference held in Lincoln, Nebraska
2001 Annual Conference hosted in California for the first time
2002 Annual Conference in Michigan, Land of the Great Lakes
2003 Annual Conference returns to South Dakota after 24 years
2005 66th Annual Tekakwitha Conference returned to Tucson, AZ after 15 years, 325th Anniversary of Kateri's return to the Creator, 25th Anniversary of Kateri's Beatification
2006 350th Anniversary of Kateri Tekakwitha's birth
2009 70th Anniversary of the Tekakwitha Conference
2010 70th Anniversary of the naming of the conference after Kateri Tekakwitha