Two Americans are among 7 saints canonized in a mass conducted by Pope Benedict. New York Times: Cheers rose from the crowd when the pope named Kateri Tekewitha, known as "Lily of the Mohawks" and beloved by Native Americans; and Sister Marianne Cope, a German-born nun who was raised in Utica, N.Y., before moving to Hawaii. But the loudest cheers were for Saint Pedro Calungsod, a 17th-century Filipino martyr, from a large contingent of Italy's Filipino community thatcame out to celebrate. The canonization Mass comes amid a meeting of bishops aimed at shoring up religious belief worldwide and several of the saints were missionaries. Benedict prayed that "the witness of the new saints" would "speak today to the whole church. "May their intercession strengthen and sustain her in her mission to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world," he added.  Kateri was born in Auriesville, N.Y., about 40 miles west of Albany, to an Algonquin mother and father who was Mohawk. She was...(Read Full Post)