| Summary: | Early Beginnings Bishop Driscoll - Abbot Alan Berndt, O.S.B. On July 29, 1984 a Visitor stood atop a hill and looked down upon a procession, slowly winding and moving on the road leading from St. Ann's Church in Belcourt, North Dakota, to a shrine, one fourth mile away, nestled in pine trees. The Visitor stood in awe and admiration as he watched men, women, and children, the elderly and young, intent upon a sacred cause. "Holy Mary, Mother of God " or "Good Saint Ann" were the words that the Visitor could hear being said over and over by the participants below. Why such faith? Who sowed the seed of this faith? Who kept alive this rich faith life in the people, the Plains Ojibwa Indians, in the midst of the Turtle Mountains? The Visitor sought an answer to his questioning. He pondered. . . Father George A. Belcourt It was believed that Father George A. Belcourt, a missionary, visited the Turtle Mountains in the 1830's. Bishop Joseph Norbert Proven- cher offered the young priest, Fr. Belcourt, a position of devoting his life to work among the Indians and mixed bloods of Manitoba, Canada. Although serving in a Canadian bishopric, Fr. Belcourt's work with the Indian led him near and far over the plains. Having a great love and zeal to walk and share with the Indian, Fr. Belcourt found himself beside these people, the Chippewa, in their buffalo hunts. A disagreement between the priest and the Hudson's Bay Company in western Canada led to a decision to transfer his activities to North Dakota and there devote his time to his beloved Chippewa. Father Belcourt established a mission at St. Joseph in 1845. While stationed at St. Joseph's (now Walhalla, North Dakota), Father Belcourt became a familiar figure in the Turtle Mountains. It is said that Father Belcourt was caught in a blinding snowstorm while traveling in the Turtle Mountains in 1850. He dug himself into a drift and there waited for the storm to subside. In gratitude to God, Father Belcourt wished to erect a monument or some type of memorial. Since the storm and his deliverance happened on the feastday of St. Paul, he decided to name the hill, Butte St. Paul. Having been encouraged and helped by the Indians and mixed bloods, the zealous priest erected a large oak cross on Butte St. Paul, eight miles northwest of Dunseith. Later a second cross was added. In 1934 a granite cross on a boulder monument was erected and stands today as a symbol of the faith of the Chippewa and the faith of Fr. Belcourt in the people he so loved. The mixed bloods or Metis were treated with special care by the zealous priest. He hunted with them, guided them in agricultural projects, interceded for them with^uthorities, and most of all, prayed with them. In their behalf, the priest wrote of the Metis: "The mixed bloods are mild, generous, polished in their manners and ready to do a kindness; of great up-rightness, not over-anxious of becoming rich, contenting themselves with the necessaries of life. The greater number are no friends to labor, yet I believe this vice to proceed more from want of encouragement and the small prices they receive for their products than from laziness." A legacy was left to the Chippewa, Metis, and Cree of the Turtle Mountain area. Not only had they been touched by the zeal, uprightness and caring of Father Belcourt, but he had instilled into these people a love for God, the Mass and the Sacraments. As the Visitor continued his musing, he saw the winding mass of people arrive at the shrine and find their places around the altar. A path was left open for their priest to trod upon. A canopy held by certain men of the parish sheltered the priest, carrying the Blessed Sacrament, from the noonday sun. The Visitor saw in reality all that he had read. An elder of the tribe had once said: Reverence for their religious leaders was the same whether in the village, on the battle field, or in the chase. The priest held services before and after every hunt, also he instructed the women and children and ministered to the sick or gave the last rites to the dying. In all that he did in Christ's name, he was referred to as a man of God. If he was called away, 29 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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