The Irish standard., 1915-09-01

anu DdptlZeQ NUMBER OF CnllQTen, the
first baptisms in the country tribu-
tary to the Red river. The following
day they entered the mouth of the
Red River of the North. On the
afternoon of the following day they
stopped on the banks of the Red river
at Fort Douglas and began their la
bors in the country embracing what
is now North Dakota, Manitoba, As
siniboia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Atha-
basca, Mackenzie and Keewatin.
Fort Douglas, later known as St.
Boniface, was the early scene of mis-
sionary labors in the Red river coun-
try. High Mass was celebrated for
the first time in this cradle of Cath
olicity, with Father Provencher as
celebrant, while Father Dumoulin
made up the choir. Adults and chill
dren attended instructions twice daily.
Steps were taken by the inhabitants
to provide the missionaries with
home and church. The missionaries
were impressed with the beauty of the
country and the hope which they saw
in fruitful field for missionary la
bors. But they had scarcely become
settled when the plague of the grass
hoppers arrived. Their small fields
were devastated and barely enough
grain was left to furnish seed for the
following year. Many of the settlers
moved up the river to Pembina,
where some Canadians and half
breeds had settled. In time Pembina
became more important settlement
than St. Boniface. For this reason
Father Provencher sent his compan-
ion, Father Dumoulin, to Pembina as
the pastor in that mission. This was
in September, 1818 This date marks
the beginning of the Catholic church
in what is now the State of North
Dakota. In the January following,
school had been established with sixty
pupils enrolled. Three hundred per-
sons were numbered in the parish,
fifty-two baptisms were performed be-
tween September and January. The
first chapel, log structure, was COX
pastor learned that Pembina was in
sionaries, Father Provencher and
Father Dumoulin, realized the neces-
sity of having with them priest who
could speak English as we'll as
French, and accordingly made such a
request upon Bishop Plessis. The
second misfortune on account of
grasshoppers which had overtaken the
colonists in previous years were re-
peated in 1920 and the fields were
again destroyed. Father Provencher
returned to Canada in 1920, where he
was informed by Bishop Plessis that
he had been appointed coadjutor
Bishop of Quebec. He was conse-
Grated Bishop May II, 1922, and
again set out tor the Red river coun-
try. During his absence he sought
missionaries who desired to enter the
field and secured one in the person of
John Harper, a student in Quebec
seminary and the first priest ordained
in the Northwest. He was ordained
November /, 1924. Upon his return
Bishop Provencher encountered an
unexpected difficulty. The Hudson
Bay Co. declared that the priests must
be withdrawn because it was on
United States territory. They based
their reason for the action on the
ground that the missions at Pembina
injured the settlement of St. Boniface,
that Pembina was in United States
territory while St. Boniface was in
Canada. On account of these diff
culties it was announced in 1923 that
Father Dumoulin was to be recalled
and the mission left without priest.
Some of the people remained in Penn
bina, others went to Canada to the
parish of St. Francis Xavier, while
many journeyed as far as Fort Shell
ing, Minnesota, where they settled.
Thus did Father Dumoulin witness
L L. It, 1zfL IL
mission in 1928, returned to Canada,
where he died in 1853.
Father Dumolin, recognized as the
first missionary priest in North Da-
kota, was born at St. Ann, Isle of
Montreal, December S, 1898, educated
at Nicollet Seminary, and ordained