The Catholic Church is expected to soon canonise a 17th century Mohawk woman and make her the first native American saint from the US, according to Vatican officials.

The church had attributed a miracle to Kateri Tekakwitha, a requirement for sainthood, although no date has been set for her canonisation, they said.

Known as Lily of the Mohawks, she is revered by Catholics for her deep devotion and courage in the face of suffering.

She was born in 1656 in Ossernenon, today’s Auriesville in upstate New York, on the banks of the Mohawk River, survived smallpox and war between Indian tribes and settlers, and died in Canada at the age of 24.

In June 1980 she became the first indigenous person from North America to be beatified, by Pope John Paul II. She is a Catholic patron of ecology together with Saint Francis of Assisi.