Correspondence, minutes, photographs, audio and video recordings, reports, and financial records pertaining to Catholic evangelization of American Indians in the United States and Canada.

Gift of the Tekakwitha Conference National Center, 1992-[ongoing]. The bulk of the minutes between 1939 and 1962 are facsimiles copied in 1989 from originals borrowed from Reverend Stanislaus Maudlin, O.S.B. Processed by Mark G. Thiel, CA (Certified Archivist) with student assistants, 1993-[ongoing].

Restrictions: Restricted records are described below in the Scope and Content Notes. Access to these records requires permission in writing from the Tekakwitha Conference National Center, P.O. Box 6768, Great Falls, Montana 59406. Phone: (406) 727-0147, 800-842-9635. Fax: (406) 452-9845. Website: Tekakwitha Conference National Center. In addition, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information. 

The Tekakwitha Conference began in 1939 as an annual discussion group for Northern Plains Catholic missionaries working among American Indians. Attempts to transform the conference began in 1969 but meaningful changes were not achieved until 1977, when it became an association of American Indian Catholics. Incorporation came two years later followed by substantial involvement by native peoples across the United States and Canada.

Since the middle of the 20th century, many Indian Catholics had drifted away from the Church. As Indian populations grew and expanded beyond reservations and rural communities, Indian people found non-native parishes to be culturally different and uncomfortable for their families, so they dropped out. The Church also failed to attract indigenous leadership and to embrace Indians' renewed interest and pride in their heritage.

Blessed Kateri serves as a focal point for this convergence of spirituality. Among the Mohawk, Kateri devotions and Anglo-French Catholicism are hundreds of years old, but elsewhere Indian awareness of Tekakwitha was minimal until the time of the revival. This revival of expanded devotions coincides with the Conference's growth since 1975. Owing to diverse tribal backgrounds and varying overlays of Catholicism, Kateri devotions continue to develop in a number of unique ways as well as retain spiritual themes common to all tribes.

Notable Events

Notable events pertaining to the history of the Tekakwitha Conference and the commemoration of Kateri Tekakwitha. The annual meeting dates, locations, topics, themes, and highlights are included.

(Executive) Directors

Dates Served	Name
1977-1989	Reverend Gilbert F. Hemauer, O.F.M. Cap., Executive Director
1989-1992	Mr. Frederick A. Buckles, Jr. (Assiniboine-Dakota), Executive Director
1992	Reverend Michael Galvan (Ohlone) [Acting Director]
1992-1993	Mr. Wilson Boni (Apache) [Acting Office Manager]
1994-1996	Mr. Richard L. King (Assiniboine-Chippewa Cree), Executive Director
1996-1998	Mr. Mike Valdo (Acoma) [Acting Director]
1998-[ongoing]	Sister Kateri Mitchell (Mohawk), S.S.A., Executive Director

Presidents/Chairs of Board of Directors

Dates Served	Name
1980-1986	Reverend Gilbert F. Hemauer, O.F.M. Cap., President
1986-1989	Reverend John S. Hascall (Ojibwa), O.F.M. Cap., President
1989-1992	Reverend Michael Galvan (Ohlone), Chair
1992-1994	Ms. Vivian Juan (Tohono O'odham), President
1995	Mr. Gerald Tuckwin (Ojibwa), President
1996-2000	Mr. Mike Valdo (Acoma), President
2000-2001	Ms. Gladys Bordeaux (Brulé), President
2001-2002	Mr. George Montoya, President
2002-2006	Dr. Kennith York (Choctaw), President
2006-2009	Ms. Rosa Holguin-Hernandez (Tigua), President

Episcopal Moderator

Dates Served	Name
1981-2008	Bishop Donald E. Pellotte (Abenaki, 1945-), S.S.S., Bishop of Gallup, New Mexico
2008-[ongoing]	Archbishop Charles J. Chaput (Potawatomi), O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver, Colorado

Materials pertaining to annual meetings since the 1977 reorganization form the bulk of the collection. At that time the volume and diversity of the collection expanded dramatically to include several formats documenting discussions, business meetings, prayer services and liturgies, workshops and training programs, and powwows and social events.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 1, General Correspondence: Arranged by year with the bulk dating since the late 1970s.

Restrictions: Access to records in this series is restricted for 25 years after the date they were created.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 2, Conference Meetings: Key persons noted in the minutes and/or proceedings are listed in the Index to Notable Speakers in the Recordings. 

Series 2-1, Annual Meetings: Minutes and proceedings arranged by year.

Series 2-2, Board of Directors: Proceedings and ballots arranged by year.  

Restrictions: Access to records in this series is restricted for 25 years after the date they were created.

Series 2-3, Institutes: Arranged by date.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 3, Special Reports: Reports and special surveys related to the reports. 

Restrictions: Access to records in this series is restricted for 25 years after the date they were created.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 4, Conference Publications: The conference newsletters primarily reported on the annual meetings and institutes. Many of the notable speakers at the annual meetings are noted below in the Index to Notable Speakers in the Recordings and were also reported in the newsletters. In some instances transcripts of presentations were published. For some speakers, additional related materials are included in other Marquette collections, which are noted by the bracketed numbers following the speaker's name.

Work in-progress: The Marquette University Libraries are developing bibliographic records for the publications in this collection. This includes all books, pamphlets, magazines, newsletters, prayer cards, published maps, published sound and video recordings, etc., and excludes clipping files and reprints of articles. As they are created, the bibliographic records will appear in Marqcat, the Marquette University online catalog. Furthermore, as an interim and supplemental search tool, most titles to publications in this and related collections appear in the Index to Publications in Native America Collections.   

Tekakwitha Conference Series 5, Photography: Photographs from the annual meetings and institutes comprise a substantial part of the collection. Key persons in the photographs are not noted in the Index to Notable Speakers in the Recordings. However, a number have been published in the Tekakwitha Conference newsletters (Series 4). For some subjects, additional related materials are included in other Marquette collections, including the online Marquette University Digital Collections.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 6, Video Recordings: Recordings from the annual meetings and institutes comprise a substantial part of the collection.

Key persons noted in the recordings are listed in the Index to Notable Speakers in the Recordings. Many of the speakers were reported in the Tekakwitha Conference newsletters (Series 4). In some instances transcripts of presentations were also published. For some speakers, additional related materials are included in other Marquette collections, which are noted by the bracketed numbers following the speaker's name.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 7, Sound Recordings: Recordings from the annual meetings and institutes comprise a substantial part of the collection.

Key persons noted in the recordings are listed in the Index to Notable Speakers in the Recordings. Many of the speakers were reported in the Tekakwitha Conference newsletters (Series 4). In some instances transcripts of presentations were also published. For some speakers, additional related materials are included in other Marquette collections, which are noted by the bracketed numbers following the speaker's name.  

Tekakwitha Conference Series 8, General Publications and Recordings: Publications and recordings collected or distributed by or presented or sold at the Tekakwitha Conference annual meetings. Key persons in the collected publications and recordings are listed in the Index to Notable Speakers in the Recordings.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 9, Objects: Selected souvenir items from the annual meetings. Descriptive notes accompany some items.

Tekakwitha Conference Series 10, Financial Records: Comprised of budgets, financial reports and statements, cash books, ledgers, and journals.

Restrictions: Access to records in this series is restricted for 25 years after the date they were created.

Related Institutions

Black & Indian Mission Office > Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions: Reverend Wayne C. Paysse, Executive Director, 2021 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20006-4207. Phone: (202) 331-8542. Newsletter: The Sentinel. Website: Black and Indian Mission Office

The National Kateri Shrine, The Kateri Guild: P.O. Box 627, Fonda, New York 12068. Phone: (518) 853-3646. Newsletter: Tekakwitha News.

Canonization Cause for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha -- Office of the Vice-Postulator for the United States: Monsignor Paul A. Lenz, Vice-Postulator, 2021 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20006-4207. Phone: (202) 331-8542.

Tekakwitha Conference National Center: P.O. Box 6768, Great Falls, Montana 59406. Phone: (406) 727-0147, 800-842-9635. Fax: (406) 452-9845. Newsletter: Cross and Feathers. Website: Tekakwitha Conference National Center.

U.S. Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops > Cultural Diversity in the Church

Kateri Circles, Regional/Mini Tekakwitha Conferences and Native American Parishes--We Need Your Help!

Be part of history! Please send copies of your bulletins and newsletters, native language missals, prayer books, and hymnals, and song recordings to Marquette University where they will be preserved and made available for research together the Tekakwitha Conference records and other collections. We also welcome your research requests. We have substantial 19-20th century documentation from native Catholic missions, parishes, and schools in the United States, which can be useful in writing family, parish, and tribal histories and other purposes. Contact us for more information:

Mark G. Thiel, CA (Certified Archivist)
Archivist, Marquette University
Department of Special Collections and University Archives

Reverend John P. Raynor, S.J., Library, R360
1355 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233

Raynor Memorial Libraries, P.O. Box 3141
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-3141

Telephone: (414) 288-5904
Fax: (414) 288-6709
mark.thiel@marquette.edu

ALL VISITORS AND RESEARCHERS ARE WELCOME