Fr. Rale Pilgrimage 2018: Prayers and Reflections

Following Our Lady to the Foot of the Cross 

Fr. Rale Pilgrimage, August 11th, 2018 

An Introduction to Fr. Sebastian Rale – Louise Ketchum Hunt

Louise Ketchum Hunt is the author of the most recent book on Fr. Rale, In the Shadow of the Steel Cross published in 2015. Her book weaves historical information and oral tradition passed on by the native Americans of Maine into a compelling narrative, giving a window into aspects of Fr. Rale’s life and character not covered by traditional sources. A native of Maine, Mrs. Hunt and her husband currently live in Alabama.


Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

O salutaris Hostia,
Quæ cæli pandis ostium:
Bella premunt hostilia,
Da robur, fer auxilium.

Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna gloria,
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria.

Amen.

Opening Reflection: They have no wine

A Reading from the Gospel of John

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” – John 2:1-6

Questions for Reflection

You will have about thirty minutes for prayer and reflection. In that time, I would ask you to reflect on the questions below: 

1. What are the needs of my family that I want to bring before Jesus? What are the needs of my community? The needs of the people of this diocese and this state?


2. Am I prepared to do whatever Jesus asks of me? Do I trust Him enough to follow wherever He should lead, however mundane or extraordinary?


When you are ready, you may go to kneel before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Ask Our Lady to go with you and bring your needs to Jesus with her. Once you have brought your intentions to Jesus, take a rosary and a Miraculous Medal (we will use both throughout the pilgrimage) and say the following prayer:

Mary immaculate, patroness of this diocese, I entrust my needs and petitions to you and ask you to bring them to your Son. Please pray for the needs of the state of Maine, for the conversion of souls and for my own conversion. I offer myself in service to whatever designs your Son may have for me. Pray for me, that I may have the courage to do whatever He tells me.

A Rosary with Fr. Rale

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

- I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

- Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

- Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen. (3X)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

- As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen


1st Mystery: The Annunciation

We pray for the grace to say yes to God’s call

From the papal bull Regimini militantis ecclesiae (1540) describing the Jesuit’s fourth vow of special obedience to the pope

Whatever the present or other Roman pontiffs order that concerns the saving of souls and the spread of the faith, and to whatever provinces he shall wish to send us, this let us strive to accomplish as far as in us lies, without any turning back or excuse; whether he shall send us to the Turks, or to any other infidels, even those living in the lands that are called the Indies; or to any heretics or schismatics, or believers, whatever. Wherefore let those that are about to join us consider long and well, before they put their shoulders to this task, whether they have enough grace for good deeds to mount this citadel at the command of their superiors; that is, whether the Holy Spirit that urges them promises to them enough grace to enable them with God’s help to bear the weight of this calling.

Reflection

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, she did not know everything God was asking of her. She did not know that Joseph would consider divorcing her, that she would have to flee to Egypt with her child, or that her child would be cruelly beaten and nailed to a cross. All she knew was God was calling her and she would say yes to whatever He asked: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word.”

When Fr. Rale took the fourth vow to go wherever the pope should ask, he did not know what God had in store for him. He did not know where he would be assigned, what he would eat, what language he would speak, or what joys and dangers might await him. All he knew was that God was calling him through His vicar on earth, and he would resolve to go wherever God called. Let us ask Our Lady for a great trust in God’s providence, that we may always say yes to Him and follow wherever He should lead us.

Let us pray.

Mary, humble handmaid of Almighty God, ask your Son Jesus to grant us an unbounded confidence in His plan for our lives. Pray for us, that in trusting Him absolutely, we might never hesitate to say yes to Him and follow Him wherever He should call.
Our Father…

Hail Mary… (10X)

Glory be…


2nd Mystery: The Visitation

We pray for the grace necessary to make God’s love known far and wide

From Fr. Rale’s address to the Amalingan tribe (c. 1700)

My children, for a long time I have desired to see you; now that I have this happiness, my heart is almost bursting. Think of the joy that a father has who tenderly loves his children, when he sees them again after a long absence in which they have run great dangers, and you will conceive a part of mine. For, although you do not yet pray, I nevertheless look upon you as my children, and have for you a father’s tenderness, — because you are the children of the Great Spirit, who has given life to you, as well as to those who pray; who has made Heaven for you as well as for them; who thinks of you as he thinks of them and of me; and who desires that all should enjoy eternal happiness. …If you have insurmountable obstacles to prayer, and if, remaining in the condition in which you are, I were able to make you enter into Heaven, I would spare nothing in order to procure for you this happiness. I would urge you on, I would make you all enter there, so much do I love you, and so much do I desire that you should be happy; but that is not possible. You must pray, and you must be baptized, that you may be able to enter that place of delight.

Reflection

Mary went in haste to her cousin Elizabeth to confirm that the angel’s words were true. When Elizabeth confirms for Mary what the angel told her, Mary cannot contain her joy. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…for He has remembered His promise of mercy!” God’s love is so powerful that when we encounter it, we cannot hold it in. We have to make His love known to everyone we meet.

That is what Fr. Rale is doing in New France: proclaiming the greatness of the Lord to those who have not heard the good news. He holds back nothing. He doesn’t worry about how his message will be received or whether he will be rejected but boldly lets them know how much they are loved by God.

Let us pray to Mary, that like her nothing might hold us back from making God’s love known far and wide.

Let us pray.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, ask your Son Jesus to set our hearts on fire with His love. Aflame with His love, pray that Jesus might give us the grace to make that love known in our families, in our local communities and throughout the state of Maine.

Our Father…

Hail Mary… (10X)

Glory be…


3rd Mystery: The Nativity

We pray for a spirit of poverty

From Fr. Rale’s letter to his brother (1723)

The thing which most shocked me when I began to live among the Savages, was being obliged to take my meals with them; for nothing could be more revolting. When they have filled their kettle with meat, they boil it, at most, three-quarters of an hour, — after which they take it off the fire, serve it in basins of bark, and distribute it among all the people who are in their cabin. Each one bites into this meat as one would into a piece of bread. This spectacle did not give me much appetite, and they very soon perceived my repugnance. “Why aren’t you eating?” they said. I answered that I was not accustomed to eat meat in this manner, without adding to it a little bread. “You have to get over yourself,” they replied; “is that so hard for a Patriarch who thoroughly understands how to pray? We ourselves overcome much, in order to believe that which we do not see.” Then it was no longer a time to deliberate; we must indeed conform to their manners and customs, so as to deserve their confidence and win them to Jesus Christ.

Reflection

When God became man, He took on our poverty. He chose to be born in a stable, poor like the poor He came to care for. Next to Him in that stable was Mary. She had yes to God and she would follow His call wherever it led, even to poverty, to giving birth in a stable.

When Fr. Rale said yes to going to the Abenakis, he took on their customs, their manners and yes, even their poverty. He would live with them and like them. He spent countless hours learning a language that was foreign and difficult for him. He learned to eat their food, even though it turned his stomach. When they were hungry, he was hungry. Living among them, he chose to share both their joys and their sorrows. He followed Christ call, for better or for worse.

Are we willing to follow Christ without counting the cost? Are we willing to love Christ and our neighbor, even when it requires that we sacrifice some of our comforts? Pray to Mary, that she might gain for us a spirit of poverty.

Let us pray.

Mary, mother of Jesus, you gave birth to the king of kings in poverty. Pray for us, that He might be our one true possession and that all our worldly belongings might be placed at His disposal, to be used for love of Him and our neighbor.

Our Father…

Hail Mary… (10X)

Glory be…


4th Mystery: The Presentation

We pray for the grace to love until it hurts

From Fr. Rale’s letter to his nephew (1722)

This accommodating spirit of the Savages emboldened the English to settle all along the river without asking consent; they built houses and erected forts, three of which were of stone… But at last — seeing themselves gradually, as it were, surrounded by English settlements — they began to open their eyes, and to become suspicious. They asked the English by what right they had thus settled in their territory, and had even constructed forts therein. The answer that was given them — to wit, that the King of France had ceded their country to the King of England — threw them into the greatest alarm; for there is not one savage Tribe that will patiently endure to be regarded as under subjection to any Power whatsoever; it will perhaps call itself an ally, but nothing more. Therefore the Savages immediately sent a few of their number to Monsieur the Marquis de Vaudreuil, Governor- general of New France, to inquire if it were true that the King really had thus disposed of a country of which he was not master.

Reflection

Imagine how much it hurt her to hear Simeon’s words, “This child shall be a sign of contradiction and your heart shall be pierced as with a sword.” She knew then that her Son would suffer. This would break the heart of any mother, but for Mary whose pure heart loved Jesus more than anyone will ever know, seeing her Son suffer would cause her unbearable suffering, it would pierce her heart like a sword.

So too, imagine what it was like for Fr. Rale to hear the news that the Treaty of Utrecht had been signed. The English were claiming that the King of France had given Indian lands to the English, making his flock English subjects, bereft of their ancestral heritage. He could see the abuses that awaited his flock and the almost certain war that would break out. He did not take this as his cue to leave or think of his own welfare; no, he loved his tribe so much that their troubles broke his heart and bound him to their fate.

Do we dare love that deeply? Does the suffering of those we love pierce of our hearts? Or do we guard our hearts precisely to keep them from breaking? Pray to Mary, that Jesus might give us tender hearts and sustain us through difficult moments.

Let us pray.

Immaculate heart of Mary, pierced with a sword, ask your Son Jesus to make our hearts tender. May they bleed for those who suffer, for those who are unknown and unloved, who do not know your Son. And may our hearts suffer for love of Him, whose greatest sadness is that His love is not returned.

Our Father…

Hail Mary… (10X)

Glory be… 

5th Mystery: Jesus Cleanses the Temple

We pray for the virtue of fortitude

From Fr. Rale’s Letter to Captain Moody (1720)

I’m presently composing an ample writing about these things to send to the King of France, that he see what I do to preserve my Indians in their land and prayers which depend thereon…I’ll cause my book to be printed, presented to the King and the public, that it may be seen what I do for my children. Shall they be cheated, driven from their lands and prayers, and shall not I counsel and defend them? They shall sooner take away my life than hinder me! The book shall be embellished with figures of rhetoric, epigrams, poetry, etc. A Jesuit is not a Baxter, or a Boston minister.

I’ll describe how the English treat the Indians, killing them and their dogs (dearer to him than his oxen.) [How he] would govern them, possesses his land without his consent to his own great profit, and when the Indian says to the English, “Why are you doing this?” the answer is, “I’m offended – your priest told you to say that!”

Reflection

Jesus was patient with the penitent sinner, but fierce with the unrepentant. In seeing His Father’s house turned into a den of thieves, Jesus grabbed a whip and drove the money changers out of the Temple. He would not tolerate such evil and thus the scribes and the Pharisees began making plans to have Him killed.

So too when Fr. Rale saw his flock mistreated, members of the tribe kidnapped and held for exorbitant ransom, land stolen, and tribe members cheated, he could not remain silent. Fr. Rale repeatedly stood up to the English. This boldness of his caused a price to be put on his head.

Pray to Our Lady, that we might have courage in standing up for justice and remain steadfast in facing our crosses.

Let us pray.

Our Lady Mirror of Justice, you have a special love for the poor and oppressed. Pray that we might not be silent in the face of evil but may we be instruments of your Son, that His light might shine in the darkness and justice may be done.

Our Father…

Hail Mary… (10X)

Glory be… 

Benediction

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Præstet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et iubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen.


℣. You have given them bread from heaven.

℟. Having within it all sweetness.

℣. Let us pray. O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever.

℟. Amen.

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God

- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

- Amen.

At this point we will travel to the site of the Narantsouack Mission on Old Point in Madison, Maine. We will begin the procession there by 11:00 AM. Altar servers: please pick up your cassock and surplice now in the back of Notre Dame Church and be vested and at the start of the path at The Pines park on Father Rasle Road by 10:50 AM.

Directions

To get to Madison, turn left on Water Street then fork right onto Commercial Street. When you come to the intersection of Commercial and Madison, go straight onto Elm Street. Elm Street will turn into Norridgewock Avenue which will turn into River Road. You will be on this stretch about five miles.

River Road will intersect with Rt. 201A. Turn right onto Rt. 201A. After 6.3 miles you will make a sharp left onto Father Rasle Road (coming from the other direction, it would be right fork.) If you reach a neighborhood or downtown Madison, you have overshot. On the right side of the road is a park called The Pines. Find a place on the side of the road to park and meet us at the beginning of the park, closest to 201A.

Fr. Rale’s Way of the Cross 

Old Point, Madison, Maine 

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:11-12

1st Station: Jesus Is Condemned

From An Act against Jesuits & Popish Priests (1700)

Whereas Jesuits, Priests and Popish Missionaries have of and for some time have had their residence in the remote parts of this Province [Massachusetts], and other of His Majesties Territory's near adjacent; who by their subtle information, industriously labor to debar, seduce and withdraw the Indians from their due obedience unto His Majesty, and to excite and stir them up to sedition, rebellion and open hostility against His Majesty’s government. For prevention whereof…be it enacted that all and every Jesuit…who shall continue, abide, remain or come in to this Province, or any part thereof, after the tenth day of September aforesaid, shall be deemed and accounted an incendiary, and disturber of the public peace and safety, and an enemy to the true Christian religion, and shall be adjudged to suffer perpetual imprisonment. And if any person being so sentenced and actually imprisoned, shall break prison and make his escape, and be afterwards retaken, he shall be punished with death.

Reflection

Those who live in the darkness hate the light. Jesus’ preaching did not endear Him to the Pharisees and in the end His criticism of them led them to falsely accuse Him and hand Him over to Pilate.

So too Fr. Rale’s protestations against the English colonists did not endear him to them either. They refused to listen. They refused to acknowledge the rights of the Abenaki nations and would not have themselves accused of wrongdoing by a popish priest. Therefore, they resolved to get rid of Fr. Rale by whatever means necessary and in 1720 placed a price on his head.

Imagine Our Lady’s sorrow at both of these condemnations. Pray to her who was mother to both of them as they journeyed to Calvary hill.

Let us pray.

Mary, you had to look on as the world hated your Son and falsely accused Him who gave His life for love of them. You’ve had to look on as His followers have suffered the same hatred. Pray for us when the world hates us, that we might bear the name of Christian proudly and remain faithful to Christ.

At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last. 

For the sake of His sorrowful passion

- Have mercy on us and on the whole world. (10X)

Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul, divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ

- In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.


2nd Station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross

From Fr. Rale’s letter to his nephew (1722)

My Neophytes moved by the danger to which I am exposed in their Village, often urge me to retire for a little time to Quebec. But what will become of the flock, if it be deprived of its Shepherd? Death alone can separate me from them. They tell me, but to no purpose, that in case I fall into the power of their enemy, the least that can happen to me will be to linger out the rest of my days in wretched imprisonment; I shut their mouths with the words of the Apostle, which divine goodness has deeply impressed upon my heart. I say to them: “Do not be anxious about that which concerns me. I do not fear the threats of those who hate me when I have not deserved their hatred; and I do not consider my life more precious than myself, so that I may finish my course, and the ministry of the word which has been entrusted to me by the Lord Jesus.” Pray to Him, my dear nephew, that He may strengthen in me this feeling, which comes only from His mercy, in order that I may live and die working unceasingly for the salvation of these neglected souls, who were bought with His blood and whom He has deigned to commit to my care.

Reflection
Though sinless, Jesus had a choice: He could have refused the cross. Had He done so, our salvation would be in jeopardy. But Jesus didn’t. He loved us so much that He even embraced the cross, so that we might be saved.

So too, as the danger increased, Fr. Rale had a choice to make. He could leave, and his tribe would not blame him. But Fr. Rale loved them too much to do that. Who would care for their souls, who would bring them the sacraments if they no longer had a priest? No; love compelled him to take up his cross and follow Jesus wherever He might be leading.

Let us pray.

Mary, when Jesus left you to begin His ministry, you knew He was leaving to go to the cross. While it broke your heart, you let Him go for the good of souls. Pray for us as we take up our own crosses. Pray that we might learn to embrace them like your Son and offer them out of love for Him and for our neighbor.

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing,
all His bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has passed.


For the sake of His sorrowful passion

- Have mercy on us and on the whole world. (10X)

Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul, divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ

- In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.


3rd Station: Jesus Carries His Cross

From Fr. Rale’s letter to his brother (1723)

Two Savages came in haste to my quarters to inform me that they had seen the English at the distance of half a day’s journey. “Our father,” said they, “there is no time to lose; you must go away, you would risk too much in remaining here. As for us, we shall wait for the enemy and perhaps we shall go to meet them. The runners are setting out at this very moment to watch for them; but, as for you, you must go to the Village with these people whom we have brought to conduct you there. When we have learned that you are in a place of safety, we shall be at ease.”

I departed at daybreak with ten Savages who served me as guides; but, after a few days’ journey, we came to the end of our small stock of provisions…In the meantime, we came to a Lake which was beginning to thaw, and where there were already four inches of water on the ice. We were obliged to cross it with our snowshoes on; but as these snowshoes are made of strips of skin, as soon as they were wet they became very heavy and rendered our walking much more difficult. Although one of our men went in advance of us to sound the way, I suddenly sank knee-deep; another man, who was walking by my side, suddenly sank waist-deep, crying out: “My father, I am a dead man!” As I was approaching him to give him my hand, I myself sank still deeper. Finally, it was not without much difficulty that we extricated ourselves from this danger, on account of the impediment caused us by our snowshoes, of which we could not rid ourselves. Nevertheless, I ran much less risk of drowning than of dying from cold in the middle of this half-frozen Lake.

Reflection

Let no one romanticize the cross and think that just because it comes from God, it is not heavy. Even Jesus fell three times under the weight of the cross. So heavy was the weight of our sins.

Fr. Rale’s cross too was no joking matter. For several years he lived under the constant threat of attack and in at least one case, his attempt to escape led him to nearly die of starvation, drowning, and exposure.

Those who embrace the cross do so out of love. But that does not mean it is not heavy. Let us pray to Jesus, that He might walk to Calvary with us and help us when we are too weak to bear its weight.

Let us pray.

Mary, you saw your Son struggle towards Calvary hill, born down by the weight of the cross. You watched as your missionaries struggled to remain at their posts, to persevere in the crosses your Son gave them. Pray for us, that we might persevere in carrying our crosses, not on our own strength but relying on the grace of your Son.

For the sins of His own nation,
Saw Him hang in desolation,
All with bloody scourges rent.


For the sake of His sorrowful passion

- Have mercy on us and on the whole world. (10X)

Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul, divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ

- In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

4th Station: The Crucifixion

From a letter by Fr. De la Chasse, Jesuit superior (1724)

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. The dense thickets with which that Village is surrounded helped them to conceal their movements; and as, besides, it was not enclosed with palisades, the Savages were taken by surprise, and became aware of the enemy’s approach only by a volley from their muskets, which riddled all the cabins….

Father Rale, 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.

Reflection

Thus ends the long journey to Calvary. Jesus cries out, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, breathes His last.

But notice who is there with Him when He dies. It is not Peter nor any of the apostles save one. It is His Mother who follows Him all the way to Calvary and had been following Him from the very moment she received that joyful call from the angel Gabriel.

So too, Our Lady had been with this mission from the very beginning when Fr. Biard first preached to native Americans on the Kennebec, when Fr. Druillettes founded the mission on the Kennebec and named it after her Assumption, when Fr. Rale built a beautiful chapel in her honor along the banks of the river. She had been here all along and she was there in its final moments, as the English killed their missionary and burned their village to the ground.

Prayer

Everyone is invited to stand or kneel at the monument at the site of the Norridgewock church and the place where some believe Fr. Rale to be buried. This is an opportunity to call on the intercession of Fr. Rale and bring whatever intentions you have before Jesus. After a period of silence, we will recite the follow prayer together.
Mary, grant that I may stand by you at the foot of the cross. Ask Jesus to give me the faith to never doubt His love for me. Ask Jesus to give me the hope to persevere in serving Him, even in times of difficulty. And ask Him to give me perfect charity that my heart might set on fire with His love and radiate His light out to the whole world.

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.


5th Station: Jesus Is Laid in His Mother’s Arms

From a letter by Fr. De la Chasse, Jesuit superior (1724)

The death of the Shepherd dismayed the flock; the Savages took flight and crossed the river, part of them by fording, and part by swimming. They were exposed to all the fury of their enemies, until the moment when they retreated into the woods which are on the other side of the river. There they were gathered, to the number of a hundred and fifty. From more than two thousand gunshots that had been fired at them only thirty persons were killed, including the women and children; and fourteen were wounded. The English did not attempt to pursue the fugitives; they were content with pillaging and burning the Village: they set fire to the Church, after a base profanation of the sacred vessels and of the adorable Body of Jesus Christ.

The precipitate retreat of the enemy permitted the return of the Nanrantosouakians to the Village. The very next day they visited the wreck of their cabins, while the women, on their part, sought for roots and plants suitable for treating the wounded. Their first care was to weep over the body of their holy Missionary…After these devout Christians had washed and kissed many times the honored remains of their father, they buried him in the very place were, 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.


Final Reflection: Who does this land belong to?

Prayer for the Beatification of Fr. Rale

Eternal Father, grant that Sebastian Râle, 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.


Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs

- Pray for us

Our Lady of the Americas

- Pray for us

O Mary conceived without sin

- Pray for us who have recourse to thee

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

- Amen.