Father Jacques Marquette, having promised the Ilinois on his first
voyage to them, in 1673, that he would return to them the following
year, to teach them the mysteries of our religion, had much difficulty
in keeping his word. The great hardships of his first voyage had
brought upon him a bloody flux, and had so weakened him that he
was giving up the hope of undertaking a second. However, his sickness
decreased; and, as it had almost entirely abated by the close of
the summer in the following year, he obtained the permission of
his superiors to return to the Ilinois and there begin that fair
mission.
He set out for that purpose, in the month of November of the
year 1674, from the Bay des Puants, with two men, one of whom
had made
the former voyage with him. During a month of navigation on the
lake of the Ilinois, he was tolerably well; but, as soon as the
snow began to fall, he was again seized with his bloody flux,
which compel led him to halt in the river which leads to the
Ilinois.
It was there that they constructed a cabin in which to pass the
winter, amid such inconveniences that, his malady increasing
more and more, he saw dearly that Cod was granting to him the
favor
which he had so many times besought from I Him; and he even told
his two companions very plainly that he would certainly die of
that malady, and during that voyage. Duly to prepare his soul,
despite the severe disposition of his body, he began this so
severe winter sojourn by the retreat of St. Ignatius, which
he performed
with every feeling of devotion, and many celestial consolations;
and then he passed the whole of the remaining time in holding
Communion with all heaven, having, in these deserts, no intercourse
with
the earth except with his two companions. He confessed them and
administered Communion to them twice in the week, and exhorted
them as much as his strength permitted him. A short time after
Christmas, that he might obtain the favor of not dying without
having taken possession of his dear mission, he invited his companions
to make a novena in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin. His prayer was answered, against all human
probability;
and his health improving, he prepared himself to go to the village
of the Ilinois as soon as navigation should open, which he did
with much joy, setting out for that place on the 29th of March.
He spent eleven days on the way, during which time he had occasion
to suffer much, both from his own illness, from which he had
not entirely recovered, and from the very severe and unfavorable
weather.
On at last arriving at the village, he was received as an angel
from Heaven. After he had assembled at various times the chiefs
of the nation, with all the old men, that he might sow in their
minds the first seeds of the Gospel, and after having given
instruction in the cabins, which were always filled with a
great crowd of
people, he resolved to address all in public, in a general
assembly which
he called together in the open air, the cabins being too small
to contain all the people. It was a beautiful prairie, close
to a village, which was selected for the great council; this
was adorned,
after the fashion of the country, by covering it with mats
and bearskins. Then the Father, having directed them to stretch
out
upon lines several pieces of Chinese taffeta, attached to these
four large pictures of the Blessed Virgin, which were visible
on all sides. The audience was composed of 500 chiefs and elders,
seated in a circle around the Father, and of all the young
men, who remained standing. They numbered more than 1,500 men,
without
counting the women and children, who are always numerous, the
village
being composed of 5 or 600 fires. The Father addressed the
whole body of people, and conveyed to them 10 messages, by
means of
ten presents which he gave them. He explained to them the principal
mysteries of our religion, and the purpose that had brought
him to their country. Above all, he preached to them Jesus
Christ,
on the very eve (of that great day) on which he had died upon
the
cross for them, as well as for all the rest of mankind; then
he said Holy Mass. On the third day after, which was Faster
Sunday, things being prepared in the same manner as on Thursday,
he celebrated
the holy mysteries for the 2nd time; and by these two, the
only sacrifices ever offered there to God, he took posses¬sion
of that land in the name of Jesus Christ, and gave to that
mission
the name of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin.
He was listened to by all these peoples with universal joy;
and they prayed him with most earnest entreaty to come back
to them
as soon as possible, since his sickness obliged him to return.
The Father, on his side, expressed to them the affection
which he felt for them, and the sat¬isfaction that they
had given him; and pledged them his word that he, or some other
of our Fathers
would return to carry on that mission so happily inaugurated.
This promise he repeated several times, while parting with
them to go
upon his way; and he set out with so many tokes of regard
on the part of those good peoples that, as a mark of honor
they chose
to escort him for more than 30 leagues on the road, vying
with each other in taking charge of his slender baggage.
