Mass at centuries-old trading post church reflects its historical spirit

Father LeRoy Scheierl returned June 29 from a fishing trip to an old Hudson’s Bay Company trading post in northwestern Ontario. The trip combined his favorite things — being immersed in history, celebrating Mass in a unique location and an enjoyable fishing experience.

Father Scheierl is pastor of the parishes of St. Peter and St. Paul in St. Cloud.

Steve Laraway, organizer of the trip, had previously fished several times at Old Post Lodge on the Albany River, which empties into the James Bay of Hudson Bay. The group of eight spent four days at the lodge fishing Lake St. Joseph, more than 90 miles long and full of bays and hidden rocks.

“Mornings we fished for walleye,” Laraway said, “and afternoons we fished for northerns, catch-and-release. Father LeRoy didn’t catch any of the big ones but he got plenty of walleyes.”

Laraway caught a 42-inch northern, the biggest of the four trophy fish they caught.

Father LeRoy Scheierl, pastor of St. Paul and St. Peter parishes in St. Cloud, celebrates Mass June 26 in a restored church near an old fur trading post on the Albany River in northwestern Ontario. Also pictured are Dr. Albert Hammond, left, and Steve Laraway, both members of St. Paul Parish.(Photo courtesy of Steve Laraway)
Father LeRoy Scheierl, pastor of St. Paul and St. Peter parishes in St. Cloud, celebrates Mass June 26 in a restored church near an old fur trading post on the Albany River in northwestern Ontario. Also pictured are Dr. Albert Hammond, left, and Steve Laraway, both members of St. Paul Parish.(Photo courtesy of Steve Laraway)

During their last shore lunch, a huge black bear stood at the edge of the woods, 10 yards away, eyeing their lunch. Although they threw rocks and made noise, it didn’t deter the bear, which made several attempts to get at their fish before being driven away.

“But the trip is about more than fishing,” said Laraway, a parishioner at St. Paul’s. It’s also about fellowship, friendship and faith.

During this visit, Father Scheierl learned about the Hudson’s Bay Company’s side of the fur trade which dates back to the 17th century.

“I’m more familiar with the French voyageurs,” said Father Scheierl, who has given 15 fishing retreats at Fort St. Charles in the Northwest Angle.

Before the fur trading post was built, Father Scheierl said, it was a gathering place for First Nation peoples — Cree and Ojibwe — who fished there.

“Because it was a hub for them, it became one of the first Hudson’s Bay Company outposts,” he said. “Jesuit Catholic missionaries came soon after the French voyageurs; the Anglicans came because post agents were Scottish and English. There was a thriving Christian community of First Nations people.”

The Old Post Lodge fishing resort on Lake St. Joseph is owned by a couple named John and Wendy Grace, Laraway said. “They told me about purchasing this property back in the 1980s. It had fallen into disrepair, the area overgrown, the post dilapidated — and an old church that had collapsed.”

The Grace family renovated the site for its business, Laraway said. They restored the church on its original foundation and moved a steeple from an abandoned Catholic church onto the building, he said. Old photographs of First Nations peoples line the inside walls.

“They installed stained glass windows with a white bear, which has great symbolism for First Nations people,” Laraway said. “I always feel reflective entering the chapel. I find my way to the chapel to commune with God and look at the beautiful, huge lake and blue sky.”

On Sunday, June 26, Father Scheierl celebrated Mass in the church, which is located near the refurbished post.

“Father LeRoy’s Mass was the first Catholic Mass there,” Laraway said. “Wendy led the songs. The Graces really appreciated it.”

“My homily,” Father Scheierl said, “was about fish and water, two things that resonate throughout Jesus’ life. There are so many examples of Jesus using fish to teach. And with the life-giving water — those are the roots of Christianity. Seeing all the boats moored on the sandy shore, I imagined something similar, Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee.”

The chapel is surrounded by headstones and graves marked with white rocks, a native burial ground, which the group prayed for.

“This church was one of the first places Christianity came to in this part of the New World,” Father Scheierl said.

“It was great celebrating Mass here, surrounded by friends and this whole gathering of First Nations peoples, in spirit and in the cemetery outside.”

Visit www.stpetestpaul.org to view videos of the trip.

Author: Nikki Rajala

Nikki Rajala is a writer/copy editor for The Central Minnesota Catholic Magazine.

Leave a Reply

*