Up the Gatineau! Article
This article was first published in Up the Gatineau! Volume 4.
The Oblates of Mary-Immaculate and the Founding of Maniwaki
Janet Uren
Introduction
In 1976 Ottawa celebrated the 150th anniversary of its foundation. ln the same year the citizens of Maniwaki also celebrated an important birthday. that summer marking the 125th anniversary of the building of the first Oblate mission at Maniwaki. At the same time that Colonel John By was laying the foundations of our present capital, the Bishop of Marseilles, Mgr. C.-V.-E. de Mazenod, was laying the foundations of the religious community that was to be responsible for the establishment of this little mission in 1851: the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. That order was to have a profound influence on the development, not only of Ottawa, but of the surrounding countryside and. in particular, the Gatineau Valley. Where the tiny wilderness outpost once stood In Maniwaki a modern community now flourishes. It is appropriate in such a year to offer tribute to the men who participated in its beginnings, and to describe their work in, and around, Maniwaki in those early years.
In 1845 Mgr. Bourget, the Bishop of Montreal, who was noted for his dynamic approach to the difficulties of ministry in a land as rugged and sparsely settled as Canada, had already considered the possibility of establishing a Catholic mission on the Gatineau. There the growing number of logging camps and the numerous Indian communities that existed in virtual isolation suggested to him a spiritual need to which the Church must respond. Shortly thereafter, in order to examine the practical realities of the Bishops intuition, Fathers Durocher and Telmon, two Oblate priests only recently arrived in Canada, journeyed up-river along the Gatineau to meet with the Indians and to prepare a report on the basis of first-hand observation. As they travelled northward the young Frenchmen saw for the first time the great expanse of untouched Canadian forest, and it is clear that the immensity and loneliness of the land impressed them deeply. Equally impressive, it seems, were the Canadian mosquitos! Father Telmon was later to write:
Les Maringouins sont ce qu’on appelle communément cousins. Cette différence d'un nom barbare d’avec un nom de parente indique Ia différence de caractère. Les cousins français sont importuns, il est vrai, mais au moins ils préviennent poliment quand ils ont affaire a vous. Vous les entendez et s'ils ne sont pas assez complaisants pour se laisser écraser ils s'en vont... Les maringouins sont des vrais sauvages et des sauvages traitres et barbares. Ils se ruent sur vous par centaines, par milliers, ils vous couvrent le corps de sang et de bosses, malgré la résistance énergétique que vous leur opposez....
Undaunted by the savagery of Canadian insects, the explorers made an enthusiastic report of their journey, on the basis of which the Bishop of Montreal one year later authorized the purchase of land and the undertaking of missionary work at Rivière-au-Désert, near the present day Maniwaki. This name signifies “Land of Mary" in Algonquin, though the earlier name was Kitigaming seti, meaning “river where there are little fields" for there, the Indians traditionally cultivated potatoes.
The first missionaries were eagerly welcomed by both lumbermen and Indians. One suspects that the Indians, at least, had several good reasons for enthusiasm. Their need for powerful friends willing to act as intercessors on their behalf with the authorities of the day was critical at this time, and was at least equal to their need for spiritual consolation. From his first visit to the area Mgr. Guigues, the first Bishop of Bytown, returned to the city with a birchbark petition to plead for the establishment of an Algonquin reserve at Riviere-au-Desert. Already this unfortunate people was suffering from the flood of settlers into the area and the consequent flight of game from the once rich hunting land. A second urgent request was later received from Chief Pakinowatik that a priest be sent to the region on a permanent basis.
The wheels of every bureaucracy move slowly, however, and it was not until 1849 that Father Clement arrived at Riviere-au Desert, accompanied by Brother James Brady, to establish a mission in the midst of the Indian settlement. Their first church, in fact, was the abruptly vacated house of the chief's brother. This building, the largest and best in the village, was to serve as a provisional chapel for the next two years, after which time the mission was moved to its present site and officially named Maniwaki. In 1851 it was formally consecrated to the service of Mary, Protectress and Mother of the Oblates.
So it began, but it would be an error to view the establishment of this tiny mission as a single, or unique, expression of the Catholic missionary spirit in Canada. First, let it be remembered how troubled were the years immediately preceding the arrival of the Oblate fathers in the New World. The 1830's Rebellion had had a profound effect upon life in rural Canada. It was succeeded, however, by what Mgr. Bourget called a “renewal of Christian life". Mgr. Bourget, realizing how inadequate were the resources of the Church in Canada. and how great was the hunger for spiritual consolation amongst Catholics forced to live in scattered settlements, began to look for help. Eventually he turned to France, to Mgr. Forbin—Janson, the renowned Bishop of Nancy, for support. This famous orator and energetic missionary, aware of the problems of scattered settlement, insufficient clergy, and the consequent lapse of faith throughout the North American continent. responded to the appeal of Mgr. Bourget and in 1840 he arrived in Quebec City to a tumultuous welcome. The enthusiastic response of Canadians to the Bishops preaching as he travelled throughout the colony confirmed Mgr. Bourget's belief that Christian life in Canada was ripe for renewal if only the proper resources could be brought to bear. So numerous were the demands made upon the itinerant visitor that Mgr. Forbin- Janson himself could not fail to be moved by the religious feeling he encountered in Canada. On his return to France he wrote:
...je ne pense pas qu’il y ait sur le globe une autre population catholique aussi nombreuse où la foi soit aussi vive et pure que dans notre Canada, et où l‘on mette en pratique des vertus aussi vraiement chrétiennes!
The journey was not to be without important future effects as regards the missionary policy of the Catholic Church both in Canada, and in France. A year after the famous visit Mgr. Bourget wrote to his French colleague that the Canadian Church was prepared to make great sacrifices to sponsor the continued immigration of missionaries from France. On the 2nd of December, 1841, the Oblate Fathers of Mary-Immaculate, following their long journey across the ocean, and to celebrate their safe arrival, took up a night-long vigil under the huge iron cross of Beloeil in Montreal. This was the very cross erected to commemorate the work of Mgr. Forbin-Janson in Montreal during the previous year. Their vigil, therefore, was symbolically appropriate since seven years later the Oblates were themselves to carry the words and spirit of that great missionary into the wilderness — to Maniwaki.
In material terms the new mission of Maniwaki was not impressive. Indeed, the first summer at Maniwaki the fathers were occupied in a furious attempt to cut enough wood, and to import enough supplies, to sustain them during the long winter. In this the assistance of the few colonists in the area, (the loan of oxen to draw the wood and strong hands to make secure the modest house), was invaluable. The second settlement of the missionaries, (where the present Maniwaki now stands) at first consisted of only a tiny log hut, a long wooden church, a cross and a cemetery. Inside the hut, the priests (who now numbered four) used one room both as kitchen and dining room, bedroom and study. A rough bed stood in each corner and there was a curtained off section for the “cuisinière". Father Andrieux slept in the loft. In fact, to reach his bed he placed a chair on the table and scrambled, since the conveniences available at that time did not include a ladder! Nor was the Bishop of Bytown spared hardship on one of his journeys northward to encourage the Oblates in their lonely task, when a local settler offered him his table as a bed. Nothing daunted, he returned many times to celebrate Mass with the missionaries, to receive petitions, to discuss difficulties and to lend what encouragement he could. Work among the Indians and the lumbermen had well begun by that time. Summer and winter most of the priests spent travelling the forest in a neverending attempt to visit as many of the settlements and camps in the region as were accessible. Although the Oblates were to achieve some successes in their work with the Indians it was becoming clear that the difficult ministry to the scattered colonists would absorb a disproportionate amount of their time.
Meanwhile the living conditions of the priests had gradually improved. In 1860 Mgr. Guigues was able to report with satisfaction the progress that had been made:
La résidence des Pères qui était alors une véritable cave, est maintenant propre et convenable. Les moulins et les terres du Désert appartiennent aux Pères, sont pourvus de maisons, et de bonnes granges, et il leur a été par Ia même permis de se dégager, conformément au vœu que nous formions, de beaucoup de soins temporels en y mettant des fermiers....
.... Le pain qui est à l‘usage des Peres est noir et pesant, l‘économie doit se pourvoir d'une farine de meilleur qualité et prendre aussi des mesures pour que le bois qui doit servir en hiver, soit sec.
It is obvious that many of the improvements listed above sprang from the Oblate concern with economic and social development. The flour mill (the mechanical complexities of which the fathers never ceased to regret!) fulfilled a vital need for colonists in the area for the many years of relative isolation before the area opened to commercial enterprise. Despite constant mechanical problems, and the poor quality of the flour produced, the Oblates continued to offer this service to both Indians and settlers. In addition, they operated a sawmill, and a small school, and in many matters they acted as agents for the local inhabitants in their dealings with government. The Oblate fathers were practical men, though the spiritual foundation of their mission was certainly never forgotten. Just as their descendants work today in Peru and Mexico to combat hunger and disease by stimulating the development of communities that are healthy both economically and socially, so the Oblates of Canada worked both for the bodies and souls of their parishioners.
The increasing settlement throughout the region was welcome to the missionaries, but only served to make more acute the misery of the local Indians. The Algonquins had previously resisted all government attempts to introduce them to an agricultural economy. With increased farming in the area, however, and lumbering, game continued to decrease to the point of critical scarcity. Faced by a threat to their very survival the Indians began to examine the alternatives more closely. It was at this time that they urgently petitioned the government for a reserve and for priests, not only for spiritual reasons, but “aussi pour nous alder de leur conseils dans la culture des champs". The Oblates strongly supported their request and Mgr. Guigues also interceded on behalf of these “enfants déshérités des terres de leurs pères“. Nevertheless. the petition was long delayed and many Indians began to leave Maniwaki, to travel north in pursuit of game. Finally, in I849, title to a large section of land on the Rivière-au-Désert was granted to the Catholic Church on behalf of the Algonquin Indians. The Oblates at once took up the task of agricultural training in order to help the Indians through this difficult time of transition. The work was slow, however, and the priests were unable to agree as to the results. Father Andrieux commented that the Indians did not take naturally to farming as it was “une chose inconnue à leur esprit“. Father Clement, on the other hand, was enthusiastic in reporting the success of his pupils, pointing out the significant amount of land that was being cleared each summer, and the many new acres that were being put to plough each spring. Indeed, some of the Indians were adapting well to this radically new way of life. The Oblate school had, of course, played an important part in the changing of traditional habits, and the instilling of new attitudes.
In the political and social arena the Oblates also continued their championship of the Indians, on one occasion lodging strong protests in Toronto against the most blatant of injustices. They recommended that a Council be set up immediately to arbitrate Indian disputes and to protect Indian interests; that whites married to Indians should not be excluded from owning property; that compensation be paid to settlers on the reserve to encourage them amicably to depart from the land. Eventually, with the implementation of more moderate policies towards the Indians, these recommendations were adopted in full.
Generally more successful, however, than efforts made on behalf of the Indians, was the work undertaken among the Gatineau logging camps. Most Oblates journeyed almost constantly in the depth of winter since that was the only time when roads could be pushed through the dense bush. A priest generally travelled eight or nine hours a day through the wilds by horse or sleigh, and often in the bitter cold. Typical dress for the journey would include a large buffalo robe over a cassock with thick woolen scarves wrapped around the face so that only the eyes showed. One priest commented wryly, "en Canada la neige et les tempêtes sont chose bien communes pendant ces trois mois de l’année". On arrival, often the camp would be temporarily deserted and one priest wrote how greatly he appreciated these few moments of silent prayer before the evening return of the lumberjacks and the noisy, “tower of Babel" intimacy as men from all corners of the earth crowded into the hut to greet the priest. The Oblates had very little time to themselves. Because of circumstances they had become men of action, rather than contemplation. As one father wrote: “Je tâche de servir Dieu énergiquement par I'action mais je le sers si faiblement par la contemplation".
The huts in the logging camp were rough in the extreme. Small in order to conserve heat, lacking both chimney and windows, here the men laid out their wet clothes around the low iron stove to dry during the night and the atmosphere was heavy with steam and the sound of voices. The first duty of the priest on being greeted by his hosts and welcomed into this world, was to engage in the friendly tradition of “poignée-de-main", or arm—wrestling. One Father Reboul won fame over twenty-five years by remaining undefeated. invariably throwing his opponent to the ground. Then, in the roughly furnished cabin the men would share their supper over the exchange of news and talk about the weather. The tone of the conversation was likely to be rough for. in the main. these lumberjacks were simple men. One missionary described them. however, as “the good. the doubtful and the bad". from which one infers that they were like any random group of human beings. Nevertheless. most of the Oblates were agreed that the logging camp, with the extreme hardship, the loneliness and the complete lack of any civilizing influence that it offered. was a pernicious place for young souls.
However short his visit the priest was not expected to embark on his work immediately. First there were songs and conversation, and compliments or complaints to the cook. Among the men assembled there were Protestants and Catholics, lrishmen, Scots, some English. many French-Canadians and a scattering of Scandinavians. There were young men who had left home to put bread on the table, immigrants who had arrived by accident. adventurers. and fugitives. There were people of all ages and even both sexes. One priest remembered baptizing a 19-year-old girl one night, the same evening that he confirmed a 22-year-old London boy, and witnessed the conversion of 4 Protestants. These souls co-existed in an environment where drunkeness and violence were ever-present and unavoidable.
After the social part of the evening the group became more serious as the father led prayer, heard confession and administered the sacraments. Often his work continued late into the night before he was able to surrender to his fatigue and retire. like his hosts, to a bed of layered pine boughs with a rough blanket for covering. At 4.30 he rose again to celebrate Mass. and after a simple breakfast he bade farewell to his parishioners and set off for the next camp.
Father Nédélec, who acutely observed that a priest unsuitable to this work was capable of doing more harm than good in Gods service. outlined some of the qualifications required in the missionary. First, he must have knowledge of, and affection for, humanity, to touch the right chord in every soul. especially when confronted with such a variety of men and women. He must have great tact, or “savoir faire”. to deal with the hardened and difficult people he was bound to encounter. Beyond that the missionary required patience to observe the slow progress of his work over the years. Of course. he had to be a man of energy and good health to survive the rigours of this life. Father Reboul, for example, of the famous “poignée de main“, performed these services without rest or serious illness for 25 years. Finally. the missionary had to possess a "gaiety". not only to entertain, to lift the burden of loneliness and boredom if only briefly from the lives of the lumbermen. but a gaiety by means of which the missionary could communicate and share the profound spiritual joy that had brought him to the wilderness, and that sustained him in the rigours of his chosen work.
Today the lumberjacks have retreated from Maniwaki and the once wild countryside is now dotted with farms and towns. The churches of Bouchette and Gracefield, which must be counted amongst the most beautiful landmarks of the Gatineau valley. can be seen as a tribute to the early missionary and civilizing work accomplished by the Oblate fathers from their headquarters at Maniwaki. Summer and winter they visited their parishioners, bringing spiritual, technical and organizational assistance to the isolated communities. But the Gatineau Valley is no longer a wilderness, and as civilization took root there the role of the Oblates subtly changed. Much of their work has now become a permanent part of the landscape even when their heroic efforts among the logging camps have faded into history. Surely the most impressive landmark that owes its existence to the Oblates must be the elegant stone church that still dominates Maniwaki. lt was begun in 1853 and, at least in terms of pioneer standards. it was planned on a grand scale. Work was slow. and technical and financial resources were limited so that the Oblates were forced to supervise the cutting of stone for over six years when masons were scarce and money was scarcer. In 1869, however. the unfinished church was finally consecrated. and during the following year the 120' steeple was completed (and crowned with a beautiful statue of the Virgin), and a 1000 lb. bell was hung. Unfortunately the beautiful statue remained on the church steeple for only ten years, when it was struck by lightning. The statue, though itself destroyed. had saved the church by acting as a kind of lightning rod. Taking the full force of the bolt. it was hurled away from the church which consequently remained undamaged. Work continued throughout the century to perfect the church. ln 1895 Father Lefebvre. the provincial head of the Oblates, was able to express his satisfaction at seeing "dans l'église si bien terminée, les bancs confortables, un bel orgue, ces riches autels, ces magnifiques statues et le travail accompli autour de l'église".
As the years passed more and more roads opened the countryside to penetration from the "outer" world and more and more of the smaller communities were served by secular priests. There was less pressure then for the Oblates to be constantly travelling. Similarly. government agents began to take over more and more of the work with the Indians. The energy of the Oblates did not abate. however. They continued to be deeply involved in community development in all its aspects. They had encouraged the Grey Nuns of Ottawa to set up a community in Maniwaki and in 1870 the sisters opened. with Oblate support, a little school for both white and Indian children. Like the fathers before them the sisters lived roughly at first. In 1873, however, the Oblates moved from a spacious frame house which they had occupied for many years to the beautiful stone Presbytery they had built beside the church. Their former dwelling place they ceded to the Grey Nuns who now had ample room to carry out their work. As population increased, however, increasing demands were made on the little school. In 1900, therefore, the Oblates undertook the construction of a large stone school house to serve the community. It was a landmark of the progress that Maniwaki had made in its transition from wilderness outpost to thriving town.
The Oblates also continued to act as intermediaries between the people of Maniwaki and the authorities. ln the latter part of the nineteenth century the Oblates were instrumental in the building of the first bridge in Maniwaki, and Father Laporte himself granted contracts for the construction of the stone pillars. Without his initiative it might have been years before the necessary financial and organizational resources were brought to bear on this need. Soon the Gatineau River was spanned and in 1896 the barges that had formerly made the crossing became a part of history. It was also as a result of Oblate intervention that work on the Gatineau railway was begun in 1889 although the first train did not leave Maniwaki until the 8th of February 1904. If one moment could be singled out to mark symbolically the end of the dangerous and demoralizing isolation against which the Oblates had struggled throughout the previous century, surely it would be that moment.
Footnote
In the composition of this essay I am indebted to Father Gaston Carriere whose 12 volume Histoire documentaire de la Congregation des Missionaires Oblats de Marie-Immaculée dans l'Est du Canada (Ottawa. 1962-68) provided me with the necessary material. I also consulted M. Anastase Roy's Maniwaki et la Vallee de la Gatineau.
Janet Uren of Ottawa was awarded Third Prize for this article in the filth annual Essay Contest sponsored by The Historical Society of the Gatineau — 1976