After the Heart of the Good Shepherd
A Pilgrimage in
Honor of Fr. Sebastian Rale, a Devoted Missionary and Pastor
August 3rd,
2019
Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament
O Salutaris Hostia
Quae caeli pandis
ostium.
Bella premunt
hostilia;
Da robur, fer
auxilium.
Uni trinoque
Domino
Sit sempiterna
gloria:
Qui vitam sine
termino,
Nobis donet in
patria.
Reflection:
Hungry for love
When they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,[i] “Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than these?”[j]He
said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my
lambs.” 16 He then said to him a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that
I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He
said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was
distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said
to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my sheep.”
Time
for silent adoration:
Reflect on what intentions you want to bring before Jesus during this
pilgrimage. In addition to your personal intentions, please think of a priest,
seminarian or perhaps a man who is discerning a vocation to carry with you in
prayer.
In between each of
the following stations, we will pray the chaplet of the Sacred Heart. I would
ask you to meditate on the love of Jesus here in the Blessed Sacrament, how Fr.
Rale responded to that love and how He is asking you to answer His call to
return His love.
“We Have Given Up Everything”
Letter
to his brother
– October 30th, 1689
Finally,
by the grace of God, I have arrived in Canada, where I find myself surrounded
by the Algonquins, the Abenakis, the Sokokis, the Hurons…It is to them that I
must give loving care, whom I must cherish and please. It is their languages
that I must learn. In fact I must be everything to them. I can almost imagine
that you are feeling sorry for me… Should I be pitied because I am often
exposed to the cold, because I endure hunger, thirst, or because I am
threatened at any moment to be devoured by wild beasts or by certain Indians?
Well, these threats will force me always to keep my soul in my hands in order
to be ready to present it to my Lord at a moment’s notice, since at any moment
I must be ready to appear before him.
Reflection: We all know the priesthood
requires leaving behind a lot. It has been that way from the beginning because
even God cannot fill what is already full. Pray that our priests be emptied so
that they may be filled with Him.
Mark
10:28-31
28 Peter began to say to him, “We have given
up everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who
has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive a
hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and
mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age
to come.”
Lord,
I adore your Sacred Heart,
-
inflame in our
hearts the Divine Love with which your own is inflamed. (10X)
Lord
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
-
make our hearts
like yours.
“They Began to Speak In Different Tongues”
Letter
to his brother
– August 26th, 1690
In
order to study their language, I would usually go to the wigwam where they spoke
the best. I went like a child goes to school, except that a child complains
when he is kept there one or two hours, and I complained when I could only stay
eight or nine hours a day. A child goes to school in a clean classroom, but I
went in a hut which was a retreat for animals as well as men. A child sits on a
bench, but I sat on the ground, sometimes on a mat. It is true that I was close
to the fire, but even this small blessing was tempered by the tears which the
constant smoke made me shed…But what of that? One should not look on it as an
adversity or at least as a very minor one, for which God has recompensed me by
the consolation I have had in becoming more proficient in their language.
Reflection: Maine was
founded by missionary priests and is currently served by many courageous
missionaries who left home so that we could have the sacraments. Please pray
for our missionaries, who have worked hard to learn our language in order to
bring the word of God to us.
Acts
2:3-6
3 Then there
appeared to [the apostles] tongues as of fire,[c]which parted and
came to rest on each one of them. 4 And they were
all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues,[d] as the
Spirit enabled them to proclaim. 5 Now there were devout
Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. 6 At
this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each
one heard them speaking in his own language.
Lord,
I adore your Sacred Heart,
-
inflame in our
hearts the Divine Love with which your own is inflamed. (10X)
Lord
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
-
make our hearts
like yours.
“I Will Follow You Wherever You Go”
Letter
to his brother
– August 26th, 1690
All
those in the wigwam where I was taught were very bright. The family had five
boys, of whom the youngest, whom I baptized and to whom I gave the name
Sebastian, was not more than six months old. I have seen many children, but
never have I seen any more alert, nicer, nor with more sparkling spirit than
they. I loved them dearly, and often gave them things I had received from
Quebec. When I went to say good-bye to those of my wigwam, they were so shocked
they could not speak…Seeing them so glum, I asked them what was the matter. “Why
are you leaving?” they asked me. “You have loved us, we love you, and you were
part of our wigwam. You have been our father. Why are you leaving?” I must
admit that I could only answer them with my tears.
Reflection: It is the job of
the priest to love the flock entrusted to him, but it is also the job of the
priest to be prepared to leave whenever Jesus should call Him. That can be
heartbreaking. Pray for our priests, that they may have the grace to love the
parish they are with all their whole heart and also be ready to go wherever
Jesus should call them.
Luke
9:57-62
57 As they were
proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever
you go.” 58 Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens
and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his
head.”
Lord,
I adore your Sacred Heart,
-
inflame in our
hearts the Divine Love with which your own is inflamed. (10X)
Lord
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
-
make our hearts
like yours.
“Take Up Your Cross Daily”
Letter
to his brother
– August 26th, 1690
The
Abenakis with whom I have been living till now are the most gentle of the
Indians…Nevertheless, I cannot deny that I have no qualms about leaving the
mission of the Abenakis, because conditions are not harsh enough. There are
some hard times, but never to extremes…“Well!” I would say to myself, “You are
here among the Indians and they are poor. There are hardships but they are not
extreme, and instead of mistreating you the Indians only have great love and
respect for you. Besides, if you become too uncomfortable, your superiors will
send you relief from Quebec.”
“Oh
dear, Lord,” I said, “did I come then to this part of the world to find peace
and satisfaction? Send me, I beg you, to a place where I can at least suffer
for you. If I cannot do great things for you, at least send me to a place where
the only satisfaction I will have is to win souls for you.”
Reflection:
Jesus
commands us to love. We love most deeply when we love until it hurts us. Fr.
Rale sought to love God more deeply and so asked for a more difficult
assignment. Pray for our priests, that they may love like Jesus on the cross:
until it hurts.
Luke
9:23-26, 61-62
23 Then he said to
all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross daily[k] and follow
me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Lord,
I adore your Sacred Heart,
-
inflame in our
hearts the Divine Love with which your own is inflamed. (10X)
Lord
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
-
make our hearts
like yours.
“On Frequent Journeys, In Dangers from Rivers”
Letter
to his brother
- October 12th, 1723
I
set out on the 13th of August in a canoe for the land of the
Illinois; their Country is more than eight hundred leagues distant from Quebec.
You may well believe that so long a journey in these uncivilized regions cannot
be made without running great risks, and without suffering many inconveniences.
I had to cross lakes of an immense extent, on which storms are as frequent as
on the Sea…We ran still greater hazards on the rivers, especially in the places
where they flow with extreme rapidity. Then the canoe flies like an arrow; and,
if it happen to touch any of the rocks, which are very numerous there, it is
broken into a thousand pieces. That misfortune befell some of the people who
were accompanying me in other canoes; and it was by a special protection of
divine goodness that I did not meet the same fate, for my canoe several times
went up on those rocks, but without receiving the least injury.
Reflection: Priesthood
requires a holy boldness, ready to take risks in order to save souls and
persevere in their vocation. Pray for our priests, that they may have such a
holy boldness and may give all for Jesus without counting the cost.
2
Corinthians 11: 24-28
25 Three times I was
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a
night and a day on the deep; 26 on frequent
journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers…27 in
toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst,
through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure. 28 And apart from these
things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the
churches.
Lord,
I adore your Sacred Heart,
-
inflame in our
hearts the Divine Love with which your own is inflamed. (10X)
Lord
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
-
make our hearts
like yours.
Benediction
|
1)
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur
cernui:
Et
antiquum documentum
Novo
cedat ritui:
Praestet
fides supplementum
Sensuum
defectui.
|
2)
Genitori, Genitoque
Laus
et iubilatio,
Salus,
honor, virtus quoque
Sit
et benedictio:
Procedenti
ab utroque
Compar
sit laudatio.
|
V.
You have given them bread from heaven
R. Having within it all sweetness
Let us pray: O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of Your Passion: grant, we pray, that we may so venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood, as always to be conscious of the fruit of Your Redemption. Who live and reign forever and ever.
R. Amen.
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His
Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus
Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the
Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His
Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His
Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the
Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the
great Mother of God, Mary most Holy.
Blessed be her
Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her
Glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the
name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be St.
Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in
His Angels and in His Saints.
And may the heart
of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored and loved, with
grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even
until the end of time. Amen.
|
1)
Holy God, we praise Your name;
Lord
of all, we bow before You.
Saints
on earth your rule acclaim;
all
in heav'n above adore You.
Infinite
Your vast domain;
everlasting
is Your reign.
|
2)
Lo, the apostolic train
joins
Your sacred name to hallow;
prophets
swell the glad refrain,
and
the white-robed martyrs follow;
and
from morn to set of sun,
through
the church the song goes on.
|
3)
Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy
Spirit, three we name You,
though
in essence only one;
undivided
God, we claim You,
and,
adoring, bend the knee
while
we own the mystery.
|
Travel to the Old
Point Mission
“Tend the Flock of God in Your Midst”
Letter
to his brother
- October 12th, 1723
I
can say to you that generally you would have difficulty in restraining your
tears were you in my Church, with our Savages gathered there; and were you
witness of the piety with which they repeat their prayers, chant the divine
Office, and participate in the Sacraments of Penance and of the Eucharist. When
they have been illuminated by the light of Faith, and have sincerely embraced
it, they are no longer the same men; and the greater part of them preserve the
innocence that they received at baptism...I must also enter into their temporal
affairs, must always be ready to console them when they come to consult me, and
must decide their little differences; I must take care of them when they are
sick, bleed them, give them medicines, etc. My days are sometimes so full that
I am obliged to shut myself up, that I may find time to attend to prayer and
recite my Office.
1
Peter 5:1-4
1 So I exhort the presbyters[b] among
you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who
has a share in the glory to be revealed. 2 Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not
by constraint but willingly…4 And
when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of
glory.
Eternal
Father,
I
offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,
Our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the
Lamb without blemish or spot
-
in reparation for
my sins and for the sins of all priests.
By
Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus,
-
purify and
sanctify Thy priests. (10X)
O
Father,
from
whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,
have
mercy on all priests,
-
and wash them in
the Blood of the Lamb.
“Do Not Despise One of These Little Ones”
Letter
to his brother
– June 15th, 1711
There
are some nice benches in the middle of the church which serve as seats to
twelve boys dressed as clerics, that is, with a red gown, surplice, and red
cap, who sing from a lectern… On working days I sometimes had difficulty
obtaining helpers to serve my early-morning Mass. But now, since they never
serve Mass without being dressed in robe and surplice, they often come at
midnight to prepare their vestments for the Mass and put them aside in the
sacristy. They do this to get ahead of their friends, because the first to
arrive are those who serve, and those who can’t get up in the morning are
frustrated of this pleasure. They do not go to bed before midnight, in order to
be able to come prepare their robes. After that they sleep until the first bell
of the Mass.
Matthew
18:11-14
“See that you do
not despise one of these little ones,[i] for
I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my
heavenly Father…it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these
little ones be lost.”
Eternal
Father,
I
offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,
Our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the
Lamb without blemish or spot
-
in reparation for
my sins and for the sins of all priests.
By
Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus,
-
purify and
sanctify Thy priests.
(10X)
O
Father,
from
whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,
have
mercy on all priests,
-
and wash them in
the Blood of the Lamb.
“Whoever Causes One of These Little Ones to Sin”
Between 1705 and
1711, Fr. Rale was recalled to the St. Francis Xavier Mission outside Quebec
and the Norridgewock tribe (reluctant to lose their pastor) came with him. He
built a beautiful church there which he speaks about at length. He even broke
his leg when he fell off the roof of the church while helping to build it. Here
he speaks of his decision to return to Norridgewock.
Letter
to his brother
– June 15th, 1711
We
are truly out in the country here, but too close to some French towns where the
Indians go drink and bring ruin upon their bodies and their souls. That is why
I am leaving to return to their lands far from these temptations. Churches are
the material temples of the Holy Spirit, but souls which are the living temples
must take precedence over the others. One must not be reluctant to leave the
former in order to care for the latter. Thus, no matter how attached I am to
the church I built for St. Xavier, I am leaving it, happy if in leaving it I
can make the Indians leave that which is causing their ruin. If I leave this
church, I hope to establish a similar one in their country as soon as I arrive,
with the help of God. I will ask some Frenchmen to come, either to transport
the one I had or to build another.
Mark
9:42-48
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe
[in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around
his neck and he were thrown into the sea… If your eye causes you to sin, pluck
it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with
two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, 48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not
quenched.’”
Eternal
Father,
I
offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,
Our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the
Lamb without blemish or spot
-
in reparation for
my sins and for the sins of all priests.
By
Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus,
-
purify and
sanctify Thy priests.
(10X)
O
Father,
from
whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,
have
mercy on all priests,
-
and wash them in
the Blood of the Lamb.
“I Will Lay Down My Life for the Sheep”
Letter
to his nephew
- October 15th, 1722
The
whole Abnakis Nation is Christian and is very zealous in preserving its
Religion. This attachment to the Catholic Faith has made it thus far prefer an
alliance with us to the advantages that it would have obtained from an alliance
with its English neighbors…They feel these inconveniences, and they are not
indifferent to their own interests; but their faith is infinitely dearer to
them, and they believe that if they were to break off their connection with us
they would very soon be without a Missionary, without Sacraments, without the
Sacrifice, almost without any service of Religion, and in manifest danger of
being plunged back into their former unbelief. This is the bond which unites
them to the French. There have been vain endeavors to break this bond — both by
snares that have been laid for their simplicity, and by violence, which could
not fail to irritate a Tribe so infinitely jealous as is this of its rights and
its liberty. These beginnings of misunderstanding continue to alarm me, and
make me fear the dispersion of the flock which Providence has confided to my
care for so many years, and for which I would willingly sacrifice all that
remains to me of life.
John
10:7-15
11 I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his
life for the sheep. 12 A
hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf
coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters
them. 13 This
is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
Eternal
Father,
I
offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,
Our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the
Lamb without blemish or spot
-
in reparation for
my sins and for the sins of all priests.
By
Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus,
-
purify and
sanctify Thy priests.
(10X)
O
Father,
from
whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,
have
mercy on all priests,
-
and wash them in
the Blood of the Lamb.
A Shepherd Does Not Abandon His Sheep
Letter
of Fr. De La Chasse
- October 29th, 1724
Three
years ago, by order of Monsieur our Governor, I made a tour of Acadia. In
conversing with Father Rasles, I represented to him that in case war should be
declared against the Savages, he would run a risk of his life; that, as his
Village was only fifteen leagues from the English forts, he would be exposed to
their first forays; that his preservation was necessary to his flock; and that
he must take measures for the safety of his life. My measures are
taken, he replied in a firm voice: God has confided to me this
flock, and I shall follow its fate, only too happy to be sacrificed for it…As a price had been set on his head, and
various attempts had been made to abduct him, the Savages last spring proposed
to take him farther into the interior, toward Quebec, where he would be secure
from the dangers with which his life was menaced. What idea, then, have you
of me? he replied with an air of indignation, do you take me
for a base deserter? Alas! what would become of your Faith if I should abandon
you? Your salvation is dearer to me than my life.
Philippians
2:12-18
12 So then, my beloved, …14 Do everything without grumbling or questioning…16 as you hold on to the
word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run
in vain or labor in vain. 17 But,
even if I am poured out as a libation[m] upon
the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of
you. 18 In
the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.
Eternal
Father,
I
offer Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son,
Our
Lord Jesus Christ,
the
Lamb without blemish or spot
-
in reparation for
my sins and for the sins of all priests.
By
Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus,
-
purify and
sanctify Thy priests.
(10X)
O
Father,
from
whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named,
have
mercy on all priests,
-
and wash them in
the Blood of the Lamb.
A Martyr for the Faith
Letter
of Fr. De La Chasse
-October 29th, 1724
I
will describe to you in few words the circumstances of that event. After many
acts of hostility had been committed on both sides by the two Nations, a little
army of Englishmen and their Savage allies, numbering eleven hundred men,
unexpectedly came to attack the Village of Nanrantsouak…
Father
Rasles, warned by the clamor and the tumult of the danger which was menacing
his Neophytes, promptly left his house and fearlessly appeared before the
enemy. He expected by his presence either to stop their first efforts, or, at
least, to draw their attention to himself alone, and at the expense of his life
to procure the safety of his flock.
As
soon as they perceived the Missionary, a general shout was raised which was
followed by a storm of musket-shots that was poured upon him. He dropped dead
at the foot of a large cross that he had erected in the midst of the Village,
in order to announce the public profession that was made therein of adoring a
crucified God. Seven Savages who were around him, and were exposing their lives
to guard that of their father, were killed by his side….
After
these devout Christians had washed and kissed many times the honored remains of
their father, they buried him in the very place where, the night before, he had
celebrated the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, — that is, in the place where the
altar had stood before the burning of the Church.[32]
Final
Reflection: Loving until it hurts
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do
you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do
you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I
love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 [k]Amen,
amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and
go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to
go.” 19 He said this signifying by what kind of
death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow
me.”
Prayer
for Priests
Please take a
moment to bring your prayer intentions to Fr. Rale. After a few moments, we
will recite the following prayer for priests by St. Therese.
O Almighty Eternal
God, look upon the face of Thy Son, and for the love of Him who is the eternal
High Priest, have pity on Thy priests. Remember, O most compassionate God, that
they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them the grace of their
vocation which is in them by the imposition of the bishop's hands. Keep them
close to Thee, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do
anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.
O Jesus, I pray
Thee for Thy faithful and fervent priests; for Thy unfaithful and tepid
priests;
for Thy priests
laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields;
for Thy tempted
priests;
for Thy lonely
priests;
for Thy dying
priests;
for the souls of
Thy priests in purgatory.
But above all I
commend to Thee the priests dearest to me; the priest who baptized me; the
priests who absolved me from my sins; the priests at whose Masses I assisted,
and who gave me Thy Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught
and instructed me, or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am
indebted in any other way, particularly N. O Jesus, keep them all close to Thy
Heart, and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
Prayer
for the Beatification of Fr. Rale
Eternal Father,
grant that Sebastian Rale, martyr of the faith among the Abenakis of Maine,
will be raised to the altar of the blessed. Through his intercession, we pray
that your divine favor will be manifest among us so that we may return praise
to your eternal glory. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son Who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit One God world without end. Amen.
A Holy Priest and Beloved Pastor
He
was indefatigable in the exercises of his devotion; unceasingly occupied in
exhorting the Savages to virtue, his only thought was to make them fervent
Christians. His impassioned and pathetic manner of preaching made a deep
impression upon their hearts. Some Loup families, who have very recently come
from Orange, told me with tears in their eyes that they were indebted to him
for their conversion to Christianity; and that the instructions which he had
given them when they received Baptism from him, about 30 years ago, could not
be effaced from their minds, — his words were so efficacious, and left so deep
traces in the hearts of those who heard him.
He
was not content with instructing the Savages almost every day in the Church; he
often visited them in their cabins. His familiar conversations charmed them; he
knew how to blend with them a holy cheerfulness which is much more pleasing to
the Savages than a serious and melancholy manner. He had also the art of
winning them to do whatever he wished; he was among them like a master in the
midst of his pupils.
Notwithstanding
the continual occupations of his ministry, he never omitted the sacred
exercises which are observed in our houses. He rose and made his Prayer at the
prescribed hour. He never neglected the eight days of annual retreat; he
enjoined upon himself to make it in the first days of Lent, which is the time
when the Savior entered the desert. If a person do not fix a time in the year
for these sacred exercises, said he to me one day, occupations succeed each
other, and, after many delays, he runs the risk of not finding leisure to perform
them.
Religious
poverty appeared in his whole person, in his furniture, in his living, in his
garments. In a spirit of mortification he forbade himself the use of wine, even
when he was among Frenchmen; his ordinary food was porridge made of Indian corn-
meal. During certain winters in which sometimes the Savages lacked everything,
he was reduced to living on acorns; far from complaining at that time, he never
seemed more content. For the last three years of his life, the war having
prevented the Savages from free scope in hunting and from sowing their lands,
their want became extreme; and the Missionary was in frightful need. Care was
taken to send him from Quebec the necessary provisions for his subsistence. I
am ashamed, he wrote to me, of the care that you take of me; a Missionary born
to suffer ought not to be so well treated.
He
did not permit any one to lend him a helping hand in his most ordinary needs;
he always waited upon himself. He cultivated his own garden, he made ready his
own firewood, his cabin, and his sagamité; he mended his torn garments, seeking
in a spirit of poverty to make them last as long a time as was possible. The
cassock which he had on when he was killed seemed so worn out and in such poor
condition to those who had seized it, that they did not deign to take it for
their own use as they had at first designed. They threw it again upon his body,
and it was sent to us at Quebec.
In
the same degree that he treated himself harshly, was he compassionate and
charitable toward others. He had nothing of his own, and all that he received
he immediately distributed to his poor Neophytes — Consequently, the greater
part of them showed at his death signs of deeper grief than if they had lost
their nearest relatives.
He
took extraordinary pains in decorating and beautifying his Church, believing
that this outward Pomp which strikes the senses quickens the devotion of the
barbarians, and inspires them with a most profound veneration for our holy
Mysteries. As he knew a little of painting, and as he was quite skillful in the
me of the lathe, the Church was decorated with many works which he himself had
wrought.
You
may well believe, my Reverend Father, that his virtues, of which new France has
been for so many years witness, had won for him the respect and affection of
Frenchmen and Savages.
