Father Pierre DeSmet: a Jesuit missionary whose greatest desire was to save souls!

This week on From the Housetops, Brother Matthew reflects on the missionary work of Father Pierre De Smet, S.J., a Belgian Jesuit who spent nearly 50 years preaching the Gospel to the American Indians and gaining the trust of many tribes throughout the western territories of the United States. Sharing excerpts from The Life of Father De Smet by Father E. Laveille, S.J., he recounts how De Smet came to the United States as a missionary in 1823 and returned to the Flatheads in 1841, finding that they had remarkably persevered in the faith during his absence. The Flatheads had continued to gather for prayer, faithfully preserving the practices they had learned from the missionaries and eagerly welcoming the return of the “Black Robes.”

Brother Matthew follows the establishment of St. Mary’s Mission, including the construction of the mission and the dedication of the new settlement to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the patronage of Our Lady of the Rosary. He also recounts the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a young orphan named Paul and the rapid growth of the Catholic faith among the Flatheads and other tribes. He highlights the missionaries’ efforts to build a Christian community through prayer, Mass, catechism, care for the sick, and religious instruction. Listen to this inspiring account of Father De Smet and the Flatheads and their remarkable response to the Gospel and the Catholic faith.