Native American Heritage Month

Did you know that approximately twenty percent of Native Americans in the United States are Catholic? Parishes that serve communities that are primarily indigenous often creatively weave together their rich native traditions with liturgical worship.

As we celebrate Halloween and begin Native American Heritage Month, it may be a good time to help children grow in sensitivity when choosing a Halloween costume. A Native American’s regalia is part of their identity and should not be used as a Halloween costume by someone who is not a Native American. Find some educational tools from the National Museum of the American Indian here.

Print and Web Resources
• Catholic Extension Society–Native American Catholic Ministry
• USCCB Subcommittee: Native American Affairs
• Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
• The Church and the Native Americans: The Real Story
• Extension Magazine: Native American Catholics
• Catholic Digest: Five Facts About St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Videos
• Knots on a Counting Rope (story for Grades 3–4) (Teacher Activity Guide)
• Celebrating Native American Catholics (5 short videos)
• Top 5 Native American Tribes with Strong Catholic Traditions
• The Relationship Between the Catholic Church & Native Americans
• Enduring Faith: The Story of Native American Catholicism (3-minute trailer)
• Enduring Faith: The Story of Native American Catholics (1-hour documentary)
• Saint Kateri and Native American Catholics
• Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Mystic of North America
• Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
• St. Kateri Tekakwitha & Catholic Native American History
• Biography of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the First Native American Saint