Teen actress draws strength from Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

The theatrical world can be wrought with superficiality and cutthroat competition. But one aspiring teen actress is relying on her Catholic faith - and devotion to a future saint - as keys to success.

"So many famous actresses are all over the place," said 17-year-old Maggie McGuire of St. Patrick's parish in Ravena. "They don't treat themselves and others with respect. I want to impact people by being a model for them. You can be cool but have good morals."

A senior at Walnut Boarding School near Boston, Maggie is immersed in academics as well as acting opportunities. By honing additional talents in dance, voice, songwriting and classical piano, she was among the chosen few to attend the prestigious Cap21 Pre-College Summer Theatre Intensive program in New York City last summer.

In 2007, she made a similar cut among international applicants accepted for the Summer Theater Institute on the Julliard campus in New York City.

Keeping the faith
"I wanted the New York City experience" of auditioning for roles, she said. "But it's hard in NYC. There are so many people who don't believe [in God]. It was lonely for a while."

Homesick, Maggie sought out a parish in Manhattan and youth fairs at New York University instead of partying.

"A lot of people have a 'live in the now' kind of attitude, especially my age group," she explained. "But life isn't all about just having a good time because it feels good."

Instead, she said, "it is important to have goals, to keep them and accomplish them - religious goals, too."

Her faith comes in part from devotion to Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the 17th-century Mohawk maiden who died at age 23. Kateri lived in the Native American villages now occupied by the Kateri Shrine in Fonda and the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs at Auriesville.

Maggie feels a bond with the future saint: "She dealt with the same struggles as I do: modesty, being humble, gossiping. People were trying to get her to be impure."

The teen noted that, "in any culture and age group, it's not cool to be Catholic, and you want to be [someone] who is cool. But you don't have to be into secular materialism and sexual relationships to be a cool person."

Aware of Blessed Kateri since childhood, Maggie developed a devotion to her when she landed the part in a soliloquy based on the notes of Kateri's spiritual director. Rev. Robert McGuire, SJ (no relation to Maggie), a resident priest at the shrine at Auriesville, had written the script with young people in mind.

"I got the part [and] researched her life," explained Maggie. "I got to know her as a person, not just a figure of heaven."

Father McGuire called Mag-gie "a very with-it girl. It's a different culture [at acting schools], but she maintained her faith and her joy, performing for the Kingdom [of God]. It's a real world that people want to see."

He said Maggie's portrayal of Blessed Kateri was genuine: "To be in love with God is not phony. It's reality."

Lily Fiorenza manages the Kateri Museum at Auriesville where the soliloquy was taped. Maggie "is just like Kateri," Mrs. Fiorenza said; "very sweet and innocent with a great love for Jesus."

Looking ahead
Father McGuire believes that Maggie's faith will guide her in acting, since "she feels acting is a career that can do good in the world. You don't have to be dysfunctional and abhorrent. You can be a delightful friend and have viewpoints that are God-related. The kids at school love her company."

Maggie's mother, Mauritia, has seen that "having learned the details of Kateri's life helped Maggie, because Kateri as a teenage girl had to resist the pressures against chastity, modesty, humility, et cetera, just like any other young girl. The fact that Kateri was able to do this through prayer and staying close to Our Lord has inspired Maggie to be able to do the same."

Maggie copes with peer pressure, the tension of being away from home and her schedule of academics and rehearsals by frequenting the sacrament of Reconciliation and attending Mass and Eucharistic adoration - all devotions Kateri used.

"There is a 24-hour chapel I go to if I'm overwhelmed and stressed and need to get away from it all," Maggie told The Evangelist. "I pray the Rosary. It's so peaceful."

She also maintains ties with home. "I talk to my mom," she said. "I get my faith from her."

In addition, "I have a picture of Kateri I keep under my pillow," she said. "She gives me strength. We have so much in common. She got through it. There is so much stuff that tries to get in your way. But keep her in mind and stay strong. You'll be alright."

(11-12-09)