November is Native American Heritage Month. An estimated 25 percent of Native Americans are Catholic, but there are also longstanding tensions between the Catholic Church and some indigenous tribes. Early missionary efforts were often tied to colonization and its devastating effects on native cultures. For some Native Americans, their complicated relationship with the Catholic Church is symbolized in its first Native American saint, Kateri Tekakwitha. Managing editor Kim Lawton visits the annual Tekakwitha Conference to ask Native Americans what Saint Kateri’s legacy means to them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"