BALTIMORE—The U.S. Bishops have approved by voice
vote the canonical consultation of canonization for a Lakota Catechist at their
annual fall General Assembly in Baltimore. Sought by Bishop Robert D. Gruss of
Rapid City, South Dakota, the voice vote is in keeping with the Episcopal
consultation process as a step in the Catholic Church’s process toward
declaring a person a saint.

Nicholas W. Black Elk, Sr., was born into the Oglala
Lakota Tribe in 1863 in Wyoming. The fourth generation to be named Black Elk,
he was third in succeeding his father and grandfather as a prominent medicine
man. In 1885, he learned about St. Kateri Tekakwitha and signed the petition
supporting the cause of her canonization. In 1904, he met a Jesuit priest who
invited him to study Christianity at Holy Rosary
Mission near Pine Ridge, SD. On
December 6, on the Feast of St. Nicholas, he was baptized Nicolas William. In 1907, the Jesuits appointed him a
catechist because of his love for Christ, his enthusiasm and his excellent
memory for learning scripture and Church teachings. During the second half of
his life, he traveled widely to various reservations, preaching, sharing
stories, and teaching the Catholic faith.
He is attributed to having 400 Native American people baptized.

On March 14, 2016, a petition with over 1,600
signatures to begin the cause for canonization was presented to Bishop Gruss by
the Nicholas Black Elk family.

More information on the sainthood process is
available at: https://www.usccb.org/about/public-affairs/backgrounders/saints-backgrounder.cfm.

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Keywords:
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Bishop Robert D. Gruss,
canonical consultation, canonization, Nicolas Black Elk, Sr., Kateri
Tekakwitha, Holy Rosary Mission, catechist, Native People, Black Hills, Cause
for Canonization.

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Media
Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops