The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-08-28
IMMENSE OPPORTUNITIES Of
FERED TO THE CHURCH IN
NORTHWESTERN CANADA.
written for The Catholic Bulletin by
Percival cIayton.)

Pereival Clayton.)
A Catholic visitor from Europe, with
an eye for those things which most
deeply concern religion, is impressed
at once by the immense possibilities
of development afforded to the Church
in that vast territorial region known
as Western Canada. Already the foot
prints of Catholicism may be traced
from Winnipeg to Vancouver, across
prairies and Rockies, and as far north
as the Yukon, by lake and stream
and branching railroad, whenever civ
ilization has followed the trail into the
west, and in many wild outlying dis
trict where there was no trail to fol-
low. For, while much of the land i'm
mediately west of Winnipeg is taken
up, and three lines of transcontinental
railway carry the visitor or the set
tier as far as the Pacific ocean; still
there are districts bordering the
Rockies on either side where the set
tier has not yet penetrated the un-
disturbed haunts of the hunted red
men, who seem to have taken sanctu-
ary beneath the shadows of these
domes and pinnacles of rock. One
thinks Of the sentence of the his
torian, Parkman, while gazing at the
thinned ranks of red warriors: "Slow-
ly and sadly, they climb the distant
mountain and read their doom in the
setting SUM-"
1t was north of Prince Rupert, about
one hundred miles in the direction of
Peace River, that | witnessed spec
tacle which illustrates the conquest
of the cross-a picture not without
sentiment for those who are familiar
with the call, or the tragedy of the
wild. An Oblate Father stood at the
door of his mission church, an Indian
convert beside him. The hour of
Benedictitn was over and they stood
silently watching the rays of the set
ting sun as they gilded the distant
mountain peaks. Both seemed wrap
ped in the deepest meditation The
missioner, Breton, was dreaming,
doubtless, of his home beyond the sea,
his vineclad home in sunny France,
and he touched the cruciflx on his
bosom all the more tenderly as tear
dimmed his eye and he thought of the
great renunciation. But the wistful
eyes of his companion must have seen
in those dying rays far up on the piny
flanks and stainless crowns of snow,
an irrevocable symbol of the tragic
fate of his race.
mention the Oblate Fathers.
They are to be found everywhere in.
the Canadian Northwest In fact,
Catholicism in Western Canada was
planted by those earnest toilers. 1t
matters not whether you visit Van
couver or Calgary or Edmonton, or
any of the other towns and villages
along the great lines of railway, you
will find the pioneer missionary work
accomplished in almost every in
stance by the Oblate Fathers. Ac-
cording to trustworthy accounts,
Father De Smet, the great Jesuit mis-
sioner, visited Calgary, or rather the
spot on which it is built he also pen
etrated the wild region northwest of
the Saskatchewan and Athabasca riv-
ers, but his stay was too brief to have
any permanent results; his important
spiritual conquests were all achieved
in the western part of the United
States and across the Canadian bor-
der.
Father Lacombe.
Of all the Oblate Fathers who have
labored in this Catholic empire of the
northwest the most interesting mis-
sioner now living is Father Lacombe.
He is, am told, in his ninety-fourth
year. Last week visited him in
that splendid Catholic home for the
aged, built near Calgary by the munifi-
cence of Mr.. P. Burns and Lord
Strathcona. His eye is still bright
and his mind quite active, although
years have bowed the venerable form
almost to the earth. At the mention
of st, Paul and Archbishop Ireland
and Father Ravoux, he wandered
away into missionary days far with
drawn in the dim and distant past
how he came to Western Canada and
built the first Catholic Church there
when the whole country was, strictly
speaking, wilderness-ho he took
the homestead-160 acres-on which
the city of Calgary is now built; his
mission covering about all the terri
tory between Winnipeg and the Pacific
ocean. He cited up hundred heavy
times in his missionary career-inci
dents that would fill many pages OF
The Catholic Bulletin. was told one
story by the present mayor of Cal
gary Ca Catholic), concerning Father
Lacombe, something not generally
known, believe, outside small circle
of Calgary people 1t happened at 8
banquet given in honor of President
Van Horne of the Canadian Pacific
Railroad, when the last steel rail o.
that gigantic system was laid down il
Alberta For two hours. or during the
time of the banquet, Mr.. Van Horne
publicly resigned the presidency O
the road in favor of Father Lacombei
while the latter, not to be outdone il
graciousness, publicly resigned tn,
parish of Calgary in favor of Mr.. Val
Horne Who would not spend life
time in wilderness, amid prayer ami
fasting and .other. severe trials to thl
flesh in order to be eligible to tn
presidency Of such railroad. even TO