Father Blanchet was born in Quebec on September 3, 1795. He was ordained in 1819 and spent several years serving in New Brunswick and Quebec before he was appointed to take charge of the mission to Oregon Territory (the territory included present day Oregon, Washington and a large part of British Columbia). Leaving the Red River settlement on July 10, 1838, he and Father Demers reached Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River on November 24. In 1846 Blanchet was raised to the rank of Archbishop.

PDF Blanchet

Father Jean-Baptiste Bolduc

When he arrived with James Douglas in 1843, Father Bolduc was the first known Catholic priest to visit Victoria. He subsequently returned to the Oregon Territory where he continued his Missionary work.

Charles John Seghers was born on December 26, 1839 in Ghent, Belgium. He volunteered for the North American missions and arrived in Victoria in 1863. In 1873 he became the second Bishop of Vancouver Island. Much of his attention was focused on Alaska, and it was here in 1886 he was fatally shot by his mentally ill companion.

Father Timothy Lempfrit

Father Timothy Lempfrit (OMI) arrived in Victoria on June 6, 1849 and he immediately established a school with approximately 20-25 students. In 1851 when Bishop Demers returned to Victoria, Father Lempfrit moved to Cowichan, and after several years he returned to France.

Father Pierre Rondeault, 1824-1900

Born in Quebec on July 19, 1824, Father Rondeault arrived in Victoria in June of 1858. In 1859 Bishop Demers sent him to Cowichan, where he actively ministered to the area’s people. He is often remembered for his work in building the stone church near Duncan, (known to many as the “butter church”, since Father Rondeault paid his helpers with the money he earned from the sales of the butter he himself churned). He continued to serve in Cowichan over the next several decades before passing away in Victoria on April 11, 1900.

The Catholic Ladder

One of  Father Blanchet’s innovations was the creation of the Catholic Ladder to explain the Church and Christianity to the First Nations people living on the west coast. It is likely the Catholic Ladder was first used at Cowlitz in 1839.

Catholic Ladder