The Lakota medicine man converted to Catholicism and taught others the Catholic faith.
For nearly 50 years, Nicholas Black Elk prepared people for Baptism, led prayer meetings, organized events for Native American Catholics, and worked as a lay missionary to the Lakota (also called Sioux).
His life of Christian faithfulness, embedded in an indigenous culture, has been an inspiration to many.
In 2017 the Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota initiated his cause for canonization, hoping one day that the Church will recognize his holiness and declare him a saint.
Here is a prayer for the canonization of Black Elk from the Diocese of Rapid City.
