Fathers Arsène
Turquetil and Armand Le Blanc were the first Oblates of Mary Immaculate to
settle amidst the Inuit of Hudson Bay. They arrived at Chesterfield Inlet on
September 3, 1912. They began to work immediately, since everything had to be
done: finding an adequate location, building a house-chapel, learning the
language, and adapting to the customs of the land. On Pentecost Sunday, 1915,
Father Turquetil was able to offer his first sermon in the Inuit language
before a small gathering, that had come out of curiosity.
However,
conversions were not forthcoming. Paganism, superstition, mockery, and
especially the devil’s wiles had to be overcome. To top everything, that same
year it was learned that Fathers Rouvière and Leroux had been murdered by the
Inuit of Mackenzie. Friends advised the Oblates to close this northern mission.
But nevertheless, their bishop Ovide Charlebois, OMI, of Keewatin was hesitant.
He granted Father Turquetil one year of respite.
Soil
from Lisieux
In the Autumn of
1916, an Inuit brought to Father Turquetil two envelopes addressed to him, but
of strangely unknown origin. The first one contained a booklet: La Petite Fleur de Lisieux (The Little
Flower of Lisieux). The Oblate had never heard of this Carmelite nun, from his
own native diocese. The booklet tells that she prayed for missionaries and that
she promised to spend her heaven doing good things for the earth. Could she
possibly bring about the conversion of the Inuit? The second envelope contained
a bit of soil, along with this inion: “Soil taken from under the first
coffin of the Little Flower of Lisieux. With this she performs miracles.”
Before going to
bed that night, the priest and his new companion, Brother Prime Girard, prayed
fervently to Theresa, even though she was not yet canonized. On the next day,
while Father sat at the harmonium, and a few Inuit came around. Brother Girard
approached behind them and secretly dropped one or two grains of this soil in
their long thick hair.
The
grand miracle of little Theresa
On the following
Sunday, at the sound of the bell, the Inuit arrived, without harpoon or rifle. One
was the spokesman: “We knew that you were speaking the truth, but we didn’t
want to listen. Right now, our sins frighten us. Could you remove them?” Father
Turquetil answered: “Yes. Come in and I’ll explain it to you.” His sermon was
on Baptism, and all the while his thought was with the Little Flower: “Theresa,
you made this possible… keep on inspiring them, and guide them towards Baptism.”
That night, Tuni, the oldest one, came to the Father: “We are three who want to
be baptized, with our wives and children.” “Fine,” answered the Oblate, “but
first I must instruct you. This could take time. And you will be leaving soon
and will not be returning before Christmas , maybe?” “Well no! We will not be
hunting, we’ll stay here to be instructed and baptized.” “How will you nourish
yourselves?” Tuni answered: “It’s very simple, the one you call Our Father, he
loves us… he will help us, we will not die of hunger and we will be baptized” They
then agreed that the catechumenate would begin on the following day, for two
hours each day.
For the next
eight and a half months, all of them persevered faithfully. On July 2, 1917,
this date must be remembered, Father Turquetil had the joy of baptizing his
first Inuits. It was a grand day for him and for the Oblate missions of the Far
North. No longer was it a matter of closing this mission. Saint Theresa had
saved it.
Bishop
Charlebois was so impressed that he sent a request to Rome, signed by 226
missionary bishops from all over the world, asking for the grace to declare
Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus patroness of all the missions in the world. In
1927, Pope Pius XI responded favorably to this request.
André DORVAL, OMI
