In the Missions of Saskatchewan
(January 1956 to August 1958)

One evening, I took the transcontinental train "Canadian Pacific," on my way to Regina and Prince Albert, an endless journey across the immense forests of northern Ontario and the prairies of Manitoba. I had just received word from my Provincial asking me to replace Father Arthur Robert in the missions of Prince Albert. I soon encountered harsh realities. First, I arrived in the dead of winter, when the days were very short and the cold often bitter. We experienced the frigid climate upon arriving at Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan. A wheel of our car was cracked and had to be replaced. We had to leave the comfort of our car, step down into the cold in the middle of the night and wait for a replacement car. This car was soon connected to the train's heating system so as to boost the temperature from a freezing 30 degrees below zero. We had been told before leaving Ottawa to bring warm clothes with us, but this adventure in northern Canada caught us by surprise.

Traveling from Montreal to Prince Albert was a long and monotonous journey. Happily, I had a companion who was also going to Prince Albert with a fresh assignment, Brother Ceslas Brisson, a Dominican Lay Brother. He was to be our next cook. Together we traveled from Montreal through the forests of northern Ontario, about 1150 miles, then through the prairie land of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The first large city we encountered was Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, situated at 1240 miles from Ottawa by rail. The next city of some importance we crossed was Saskatoon, the most important city in Saskatchewan after Regina, and a business center. We left the transcontinental train that we had boarded at Ottawa to take the local train that went to Prince Albert, 90 miles to the north. Here we could enjoy the scenery with its hills and valleys, and the pine trees that never grew very tall, and fresh water streams flowing down the hills.

Learning to be a missionary

On arriving at Prince Albert, I was welcomed by Father Arthur Robert and Brother Ange Bedard to our new residence. It was a sizable house, set on a hill, a short distance from the city's business district.

Father Robert, well known as Father Bob, was a kind and jolly companion, always ready to tell a story or crack a joke. It is he who introduced me to the four "missions" I would now serve. But first I had to learn to drive the car, at the mature age of 39. I was soon impressed by the contrast between the availability of church services in the cities where I had lived with a church on almost every corner, and the situation of Catholics living in rural areas, on the farm. These were few and far between.

I loved my work in the missions. It seemed to respond to such a need of priests to celebrate the Mass and bring the sacraments to the people. I worked out a schedule that enabled me to visit two communities every weekend, weather permitting.

In two missions we had a small wooden church with an enclosed area behind the altar, furnished with a table, a chair and a bed. There was also a wood stove with logs of firewood to heat the church in the winter.

In the two other missions, I would arrive with my portable altar enclosed in a valise. With all that was needed: bread and wine mostly, I would celebrate the Mass in a public hall of the village. Those who desired to go to confession before the Mass would come and sit next to me in a corner of the hall. That was the confessional.

The rigorous climate did not always permit the dear farmers to come and "practice their religion." If it had just snowed or rained, the roads were often impassible, and Catholics, in spite of their good will, could not get to the place where the Mass was to be celebrated. For such reasons, a number of Catholic families were deprived of the Sunday Mass for a good part of the winter and I thought to myself: how often we take for granted the church facilities we enjoy!

An adventure in the missions. Only a few weeks after I arrived at Prince Albert, I got into my car and was on my way to the weekend ministry. It was a Saturday afternoon. The sky was overcast and a light snow was falling. Father Bob had warned me not to leave the city under such circumstances. But in my innocence and the fervor of a young missionary, I took the risk of going to the mission nearest to Prince Albert. This was about twenty miles from the city. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. I figured I could be back home after saying Mass, within little more than one hour. But in no time, it became clear that a big storm, a "blizzard," was coming. At a turn of the road snow had already accumulated, rendering the road impassable and the visibility null. Unable to see a thing outside because of the snow blowing on all sides, I froze and the car stopped. In the maneuver I unwittingly veered to the right of the road. This proved to be an unplanned blessing in disguise. When later a tow truck came to rescue us, my car was not in the way.

In this crucial situation I did not know what to do. I could only sit still in the cold car and pray that somehow God would send us help. In a short while, three other vehicles got stuck with us in the deep snow. At least I had company. This was mild comfort for us as we sat in our cars, hungry and shivering in the cold.

The help we prayed for finally arrived. In our stranded group there was a resident of that area, who was sure a friend of his lived nearby. He ventured on foot to reach his house. That man telephoned another friend who had heavy farm equipment, including a big bulldozer. This enabled him to clear a path in the snow and lead the other vehicles to the farmer's house. There we all were, stranded - maybe a dozen in all - we were served an improvised supper. We ate all the bread they had in the house. The Good Samaritan who welcomed us, spread several blankets on the floor and there we rested that night. During the night, the lady of the house baked bread so that we might have something to eat for breakfast in the morning. Oh! The charity of these people! It was like a Gospel story.

Other ministries entrusted to me in the Diocese of Prince Albert

An Inquiry Forum. When I arrived at Prince Albert, Bishop Leo Blais headed the Diocese. He had recently succeeded Bishop Duprat, Dominican, who had been sent to Prince Albert to deal with the financial woes of the Diocese. There was no money in the bank, and the Diocese was unable to borrow money for apostolic works. Little by little, a Diocesan bank account was restored, reconstituted through the hard work of priests and faithful, and with the financial help of the "home Missions" in some cases. Help provided by bigger dioceses to poorer ones. During his episcopate, Bishop Duprat was concerned mostly with paying off the debt he had inherited. At the arrival of Bishop Blais, clergy and faithful were eager to spend their savings on apostolic works and impart new life to their church.

A great apostolic zeal burned in the heart of the bishop. He soon set up a Catholic bookstore with catechetical materials capable of enlightening and building the faith of people. He entrusted this service to dedicated young ladies who belonged to a Secular Institute.

Bishop Blais, realizing that I had come to his diocese after years of teaching theology, soon asked me to conduct an "Inquiry Forum" on the Catholic faith. This involved a series of twenty-four conferences on the faith and religious practices of Catholics. This was meant to explain our faith to outsiders but secondarily to members of our own flock who wanted to gain a better understanding of their faith. In addressing such a group, I found it most helpful and simple to use the popular book written by Bishop Noll: "Father Smith Instructs Jackson." The format was simple: A dialogue on the Catholic faith between a priest called Father Smith and a non-Catholic called Jackson, who seems interested in knowing more about his Catholic neighbors. I presented a point of the Catholic faith, then answered questions. Those who attended this "Inquiry Forum" were mostly Catholics, but for me this teaching is what first opened my mind to consider Protestant beliefs in the light of our Catholic tradition. After that, I felt more at ease in sharing my faith with Protestants and other Christians.

In 1958-59 I gave a course of Introduction to the Sacred Scriptures to the "Sisters of Notre Dame de la Croix" at Prince Albert. As often happens, I was the first to benefit by these reflections on the Sacred Books.