FATHER PHILIP RAPPAGLIOSI

“Letters from the Rocky Mountain Indian Missions”, edited by Robert Bigart.


The Salish/Flathead, who had no “f” consonant in their language, called him “Pilip.” (So how could they say “Flathead?” Clue: they didn’t call themselves that. They didn’t even flatten heads.) The Blackfeet, who had no “l” consonant, called him “Pinip.” His family affectionately called him “Pippo.” By any name he was the most sincere and tender Jesuit ever sent to northern Montana.

There are only two photos of “Father Pinip,” the one on the front of this book and another inside, both taken in Montana in the 1870’s by professional photographers. No one knows which one is earlier, so we don’t know whether his problematic health is getting better or worse, but we do know his health was a problem even at home in Italy. Nevertheless, he constantly protested that he was fine.

The early Jesuit missions were functioning in very exciting times. Consider this summary of events:
1841: Father Pierre DeSmet, S.J. establishes St. Mary’s Mission in the Bitterroot Valley. (This was the homeland of the Salish Flatheads, who were rapidly being pushed out.) He and his helpers hoped to form a religious utopia. The mission closed in 1850.
1854: St. Ignatius Mission founded in 1854. (It had originally been near Pend d’Oreille River and Lake in Washington.) It was quite a large and busy community in 1875.
1855: The major Blackfeet treaty is signed. Also the Hellgate Treaty with the Salish Flatheads.
1859: St. Peter’s Mission is established to serve Blackfeet and has to move several times as the reservation shrinks. Closed in 1866. Re-established in 1874 at Bird Tail Rock, fifteen miles south of Simms, Mt.
1860’s: In Canada, "Fenians," a group of Irish radicals, a.k.a. the American branch of the Fenian Brotherhood in the 1860s, made several attempts (1866, 1870, etc.) to invade some parts of southern Canada from the US. The ultimate goal of the Fenian raids was to hold Canada hostage and therefore be in a position to ask the United Kingdom to give Ireland its independence. Because these Irish were Catholic, to some minds, all Catholic Irish were suspect. Some thought they were involved in the death of Governor Meagher, an Irishman.
1861: the uniting of Italy’s city-states into one country.
1861 to 1865: American Civil War. It maims, hardens, displaces people all across the continent, many of them into the West.
1866: St. Mary’s Mission was re-established.
1869 -1870: The Riel Rebellion. Refugees escape to Montana.
1870: Missoula had 66 buildings and 300 white residents. This is the year of the “Baker Massacre” of Blackfeet.
(from Wikipedia) In 1821, the North West Company of Montreal and the Hudson's Bay Company merged, with a combined territory that was further extended by a license to the watershed of the Arctic Ocean on the north and the Pacific Ocean on the west. In 1870 the trade monopoly was abolished and the company sold Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to the Dominion of Canada. Both territories were then combined as the Northwest Territories. This left a vacuum exploited by whiskey traders until the founding of the RCMP in 1873.
1871: The end of treaty making with the Senate only. Now all tribes will enter into “agreements” with both houses.
1872: The Salish Flathead divided, one small part going with Chief Arlee to the Jocko Reservation, and the majority staying with Charlo in the Bitterroot.
1874: Father Rappagliosi, thirty-two years old, arrives in January at St. Mary’s Mission. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a French order, came to Cranbrook to serve Canadian Kootenai.
1875: For the first half of the year, Father P. is assigned to St. Ignatius Mission. For the second half he is assigned to St. Peter’s Mission, the Blackfeet.
1876: Battle of the Greasy Grass (Custer’s Last Stand).
1877: The Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph, make their escape and are partly captured at the Bear’s Paw Mountains. Sitting Bull is in Canada and accepts those who escaped.
1878: Father “Pinip” dies while visiting the Metis on Milk River in Canada.
1880: Charlie Russell arrives in Montana.
1883-84: The buffalo are scarce, then gone. Holy Family Mission is established on Two Medicine River.
1890: Wounded Knee
1891: The last of the Salish moved to the Flathead.

This beautifully organized slender little book supplies an historical framework, footnotes, photographs, and commentary that fortify the wonderfully warm and detailed letters of Father “Pippo” to his supportive and conscientious family back in Italy. They are staunch in their belief, careful in their actions, and wracked with tragedy as two of Father Philip’s actual brothers die suddenly in the year before Father himself fails.

It’s worth looking into the Jesuit Order, founded by a Basque knight and dedicated to three things: schools, conversions, and opposition to Protestants. They are a highly rigorous group: individuals commit themselves to self-examination each night and at least once during the day to see whether they are living up to their ideals and goals. They oppose corruption, no matter where they see it, and therefore have gone through periods of disfavor and official disbanding when they dared to oppose high authority.

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a much more recent French order, originally established to help recovery from the French Revolution. They took as their mission charge the Northwest Territories. Father Genin, reputed to be Father Philip’s nemesis, had been assigned as an Oblate, but was expelled from the order for something. They said violating his vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He denied that, but was reduced to being simply a priest. Since he soon became involved in wrangles with the diocesan authorities who presumably governed him, it appears that his chief failing was that of disobedience.

Father P. had previously visited this group of Metis and Blackfeet, and evidently while he was gone, Genin stirred up criticism of him. When Father P. returned, he was struck in the face with resistance and maybe even hatred, which he could little tolerate. Some think that killed him. But Father Genin is known to have brought him a drink of something a few days before he died. He was a close friend of Sitting Bull, had been adopted by him, and as a Catholic might have been thought to have Fenian ties. Military and officials trusted him not at all. Or maybe he just had a nice little racket going in the last of the buffalo hides. He was sending money home.

It’s all wonderful material that has yet to be explored and explained, with a world in political chaos while a faithful person like Father Pinip goes about his business of teaching and consoling people, celebrating mass, mending his own pants (not too good at this), sleeping on the ground while rolled up in a buffalo robe, traveling the prairie in winter by sled -- so wrapped up in furs that he said he looked like “two bears.”

We should all be so devoted and sure of our calling in the midst of confusion. This little book is an inspiration.