Scores of Roman Catholics -- including many in Canada’s First Nations community -- are catching flights to Rome this week to celebrate the canonization of North America’s first aboriginal saint.

The long-anticipated canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk woman who died in 1680, will take place at the Vatican on Sunday.

It’s believed she is the first aboriginal to receive the designation.

Among those making the trip to Italy is Deacon Ron Boyer, the Canadian vice-postulator for Tekakwitha’s sainthood. Boyer and his colleagues have spent years pushing for the canonization.

For Boyer, the cause is personal. Not only is he the deacon at St. Francis Xavier Church in Kahnawake, Que.,where Tekakwitha is entombed, but he grew up in Canada’s residential school system.

To him, the canonization of Tekakwitha represents the unity among all cultures.

“She’s the one who’s unifying, bringing people together. You could say she’s the mender of all cultures,” he told CTV’s Canada AM on Thursday. “I think this was her mission.”

Both Canada and the United States lay claim to Tekakwitha, known as Lily of the Mohawks. Though she was born 355 years ago in New York, she did the majority of her religious work in Kahnawake, Que.

Tekakwitha moved to Kahnawake in her late-teens, after experiencing some opposition at home.

Her story of origin notwithstanding, Tekakwitha has been described as the “protectress of Canada.”

“If you look at her tomb … it’s written above her name, Kaiatanoron. In Mohawk, it means that she is someone special,” said Boyer. “She’s unique. She’s a lily, someone we hold in high esteem.”

Boyerwill flies out to Rome Thursday with his wife, eldest son and eldest daughter.

Tekakwitha was approved for sainthood in late 2011 when the Catholic Church credited her with a second miracle after death, healing a five year-old boy who had flesh-eating disease.

Two miracles, scrutinized by members of the church, are required for Catholic sainthood.

Many Catholics who cannot attend Tekakwitha’s canonization in Rome plan to celebrate the occasion back home. Several parishes, including St. Francis Xavier Church, have organized events.