Listen>https://youtu.be/xphbFuRuJB0?si=HmVjSWTj3U7hW06d
Kateri's Journey
She walked the forest path,
A quiet girl with winter scars,
Holding faith against the wind,
A small light under northern stars.
Kateri, keep your pace,
Carry truth through the frozen air,
Soft and steady, never loud,
A gentle heart that learned to bear.
Kateri, keep your pace,
Let the silence be your guide,
A fragile strength that held its ground,
A quiet courage lived inside.
Her village pressed her hard,
The weight of choosing her own way,
Illness pulling at her bones,
Yet still she walked from day to day.
Kateri, keep your pace,
Carry truth through the frozen air,
Soft and steady, never loud,
A gentle heart that learned to bear.
Kateri, keep your pace,
Let the silence be your guide,
A fragile strength that held its ground,
A quiet courage lived inside.
She found a place of peace,
A home where she could finally rest,
And in that quiet room,
Her faith rose softly from her chest.
Kateri, keep your pace,
Carry truth through the frozen air,
Soft and steady, never loud,
A gentle heart that learned to bear.
Kateri, keep your pace,
Let the silence be your guide,
A fragile strength that held its ground,
A quiet courage lived inside.
Her footsteps linger still,
A trail that moves through northern trees,
A girl who held her truth
With nothing but her strength and peace.
SONG OVERVIEW
This song, Kateri's Journey, was written by Tasmanian songwriter, author and consultant Jason Bresnehan and forms part of his Saints and Sinners series, a collection of twenty-seven original songs inspired by twenty-seven saints whose lives demonstrate overcoming and movement. The series is being developed into a companion book that combines song lyrics with concise saint biographies focused on each saint’s story, saintly movement and the obstacle they overcame.
KATERI'S JOURNEY, the SONG, by Jason Bresnehan, Tasmanian Songwriter
Kateri Tekakwitha lived in the seventeenth century and died near Montreal. Her saintly movement took place across the lands of the Mohawk people and the mission communities she later joined. Her resting place is honoured at Kahnawake.
Kateri began in hardship, marked by childhood disease, scarring and the loss of her family. She grew up inside tension, carrying her chosen faith through opposition and misunderstanding. Her movement is quiet endurance, a steady walk through difficulty rather than confrontation. She faced pressure from her community, illness that weakened her body and the loneliness of choosing a different path, yet she kept moving with gentleness and resolve. Kateri’s story is not about victory or triumph; it is about a young woman who held her faith without anger or force. Her movement through life shows how quiet courage can survive pressure and how a soft voice can carry truth through winter air.