The Friends of Fr. Rale

The Friends of Fr. Rale sounds like an official group. As of yet, it is not. And yet, the hope is that this website will be a resource for a real network of people who, for various reasons have been drawn to Fr. Rale, whether as an inspiration or an historical figure.

How this website started

In 2017, I came up with the idea to take a group of young men who were discerning vocations to the priesthood to see the grave of Fr. Sebastian Rale, our local martyr. This pilgrimage rapidly grew and I discovered there was a lot of interest from people all over the country (and even outside) in Fr. Sebastian Rale. Some were local historians, some were native Americans who traced their lineage to Fr. Rale’s tribe, some were Jesuits, some were people who had done research into their Maine ancestry and stumbled across the story. All were gripped by the tale and wanted to know more.

The problem was, resources on Fr. Rale are hard to come by and those that are available can be highly polemical. For many English authors, the story of Fr. Rale recalled the bloody Indian wars of the not-so-distant past and their evaluation of Fr. Rale reflected the deep historical wounds and prejudices one would expect. Some primary sources are available via the Jesuit Relations, but these letters give a limited picture of who Fr. Rale was. Even recent books written on Fr. Rale can be hard to come by and one needs to know where to look.

Therefore, I decided to collect what I had found and written on one page. Much of the work I have done has been in promotion of Fr. Rale’s cause for sainthood and so you’ll find many resources of a more spiritual nature. However, I’ve also included those resources I leaned on for my research. Hopefully this opens up more avenues for you as you seek learn about the life of a fascinating figure in colonial history.

May God bless you abundantly!

- Joe Moreshead

Author of the website