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October 1, 2018His uncle mentioned the Tekakwitha Conference a few years ago as something to “check out,” but Robert Barbry II never thought it would be his “next step” in ministry.
Now, three years later, Barbry is the new executive director of the Tekakwitha Conference.
“Being introduced to the Tekakwitha Conference was such a blessing,” Barbry said. “For the first time, I began to see how my identity as a person of indigenous heritage could be integrated without compromise with the Catholic faith I live and believe.”
The Tekakwitha Conference is “the voice, presence and identity of Indigenous Catholics of North America under the protection and inspiration of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha.”
Members strive to “affirm pride in their cultures and spiritual traditions, advocate for peace and justice in indigenous communities; nurture the relationship between indigenous people and the Catholic Church and empower Catholic indigenous people to be leaders within their communities and church.”
Barbry, of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, has a background in youth ministry, both in parish and diocesan settings. His master’s degree in catechetics and evangelization is from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
He almost passed up the opportunity to work for the conference, but the idea began to gnaw at him. After some time, the job was still posted, so he applied.
“In prayer, I began to ask God if this was it – if this was where He wanted me,” Barbry said. “Adding my name to the list of applicants was more an act of obedience than anything. Through a vetting process that spanned nearly two months, I finally got the call.”
Barbry said, after Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was canonized in 2012, many people believed the work of the Tekakwitha Conference accomplished its goal. He said the canonization was certainly a milestone, but the work of the conference remains.
“Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the epitome of what it means to be countercultural, and to seek holiness unapologetically in the face of great adversity. Today, this conference continues as a beacon of Saint Kateri's life. We are an organization bent on evangelizing others through the witness and constant intercession of the first Indigenous North American saint,” Barbry said.
“The work of the conference is this: to show our brothers and sisters that being devout and decidedly Catholic requires no compromise in terms of their native heritage – the two can be reconciled and can enrich one another.”
The Tekakwitha Conference has an annual conference. This year members met in July in Tacoma, Wash. Barbry said the annual Tekakwitha conferences are often referred to as a “family reunion” of sorts with attendees from more than 100 tribes.
“The week culminated with an unforgettable pilgrimage to the reservation of the Lummi Nation in northern Washington. It was during this pilgrimage that we were able to reunite with 18-year-old Jake Finkbonner, the subject of the final and determining miracle in Kateri Tekakwitha's cause for canonization,” Barbry said.
Deacon Roy Callison, coordinator of American Indian Catholic Outreach and director for the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Spiritual Center of Oklahoma for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said one the best parts of attending the annual conference, which he attends with his wife Susan, is visiting with the American Indian Catholics who come from all over the United States and Canada.
“For an American Indian Catholic who has never experienced a gathering of more than 700 American Indian Catholics, it’s awesome! It’s especially nice to see the numerous bishops, priests, deacons, sisters and brothers, many of whom are American Indian, gathered together to praise God in a Mass that incorporates our American Indian spirituality,” Callison said.
“We blend our American Indian spirituality with our Catholic faith. The blending of the two is truly a spiritually uplifting experience.”
Barbry began his term as executive director after the 2018 conference. Prior to Barbry, Sister Kateri Mitchell, S.S.A., served as executive director for 20 years.
“My predecessor brought our conference from a place of uncertainty and relative obscurity to a place of consistent growth and recognition within the Church. The only way to preserve all that our conference has become is to find new and creative ways to incorporate the next generation and to entrust to them the continuity of the conference,” Barbry said.
Barbry said, he personally invites all readers of the Sooner Catholic to the 80 th annual conference in July 2019 in Sharonville, Ohio. The theme is “From All Directions, Saint Kateri Leads Us to Holiness.”
For more information about the Tekakwitha Conference, visit tekconf.org.
For more information about the AICO and Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Spiritual Center of Oklahoma, contact Deacon Roy Callison at (918) 822-3255 or [email protected], or go online to archokc.org/american-indian-catholic-outreach.
Dana Attocknie is managing editor for the Sooner Catholic.
Photo: Participants gather for the All Nations Grand Entry at the annual Tekakwitha Conference in July in Tacoma, Wash.
