hands of the English. The force meant to protect Batoche gallops off, and Louis prays harder that these defenceless ones around him are not now surpriseattacked by the serpent that is the Canadian military.
Body shaking from exertion, Louis knows that through prayer he’s helped usher in a victory for the Métis. When Gabriel and his men return, exhausted but happy, Louis is ecstatic. In order to thank the Lord properly, Louis declares four days of fasting. He hopes to purify his people for the upcoming struggles. For the next days he keeps a thorough diary, seeking answers and feverishly praying to God that Middleton not become the victor, that his cannon be broken into three, and that the Métis understand that the loss of fifty-five horses at Fish Creek, a horrible blow, is God punishing them for their love of gambling on the animals in races. Louis believes it is a small price to pay in that so few Métis lives were lost on the battlefield.
Louis, in these days following Fish Creek, finds much solace in defining his new church. The new church is, literally, a freshly built, rough-hewn log structure in a willow copse near town, since the priests who run the church in Batoche no longer get along with Louis or want him there. He knows that priests are simply instruments of God, and that instruments often break. Those men are certainly broken, and it’s Louis’s place now to construct the new church. He knows that hell cannot last forever, for this goes directly against God’s divine mercy. Eventually all sinners will end up in heaven, reconciled with the creator.
Louis replaces the fallen priests with his own ministry consisting of members of the Exovedate. Each is given some of the important holy obligations of the church: the ability to administer the sacraments, the ability to hear confession. Gabriel and the others are now, basically, priests. They must scratch their heads over this newest turn of events. From here on out they will have to be on their best behaviour.
Louis’s decision to change the names of the days of the week now that the new Rome is rising makes good sense to him. Using the old names is akin to worshipping false idols, and so Louis renames Monday, Christ Aurore; Tuesday, Vierge Aurore; Wednesday, Joseph Aube; Thursday, Dieu Aurore; Friday, Deuil Aurore; Saturday, Calme Aurore; and Sunday, Vive Aurore. His fascination with the Old Testament allows him to change the Sabbath from Sunday to Saturday. With General Middleton and the Canadian army at their doorstep, the Métis around Louis don’t appear overly concerned with his innovations, or interested, really. There are much more pressing issues.
The priests of the area, though, are frightened and furious. Their people have taken up arms. Killing has begun. The villages are in anarchy. The priests are being ignored by the majority. There will be hell to pay. They finally do, on April 30, what some say they should have done a long time ago. Louis is officially excommunicated, along with all of his followers. The priests can stand for this no longer. Order must be restored at any cost, and if this means, in the near future, giving information about Métis strength—and weaknesses—to General Middleton, then so be it. What’s most important is that the Canadian government and the Church in Rome clearly understand that the priests of the North-West have nothing to do with this rebellion. Louis, rather than exploding in anger when he hears the news, answers quite calmly, “Priests have been ordained to support the spirit of religion. Priests are not religion.”
Louis doesn’t pin his hopes on these priests. He pins his hopes on something else entirely: Louis still believes that John A. will sit down at the table and make a deal with him to treat the Métis fairly and with respect. Surely the people of Canada, even the Protestant Orangemen, see that what the Métis ask for is fair and just. Surely they will see that the police fired first back
Body shaking from exertion, Louis knows that through prayer he’s helped usher in a victory for the Métis. When Gabriel and his men return, exhausted but happy, Louis is ecstatic. In order to thank the Lord properly, Louis declares four days of fasting. He hopes to purify his people for the upcoming struggles. For the next days he keeps a thorough diary, seeking answers and feverishly praying to God that Middleton not become the victor, that his cannon be broken into three, and that the Métis understand that the loss of fifty-five horses at Fish Creek, a horrible blow, is God punishing them for their love of gambling on the animals in races. Louis believes it is a small price to pay in that so few Métis lives were lost on the battlefield.
Louis, in these days following Fish Creek, finds much solace in defining his new church. The new church is, literally, a freshly built, rough-hewn log structure in a willow copse near town, since the priests who run the church in Batoche no longer get along with Louis or want him there. He knows that priests are simply instruments of God, and that instruments often break. Those men are certainly broken, and it’s Louis’s place now to construct the new church. He knows that hell cannot last forever, for this goes directly against God’s divine mercy. Eventually all sinners will end up in heaven, reconciled with the creator.
Louis replaces the fallen priests with his own ministry consisting of members of the Exovedate. Each is given some of the important holy obligations of the church: the ability to administer the sacraments, the ability to hear confession. Gabriel and the others are now, basically, priests. They must scratch their heads over this newest turn of events. From here on out they will have to be on their best behaviour.
Louis’s decision to change the names of the days of the week now that the new Rome is rising makes good sense to him. Using the old names is akin to worshipping false idols, and so Louis renames Monday, Christ Aurore; Tuesday, Vierge Aurore; Wednesday, Joseph Aube; Thursday, Dieu Aurore; Friday, Deuil Aurore; Saturday, Calme Aurore; and Sunday, Vive Aurore. His fascination with the Old Testament allows him to change the Sabbath from Sunday to Saturday. With General Middleton and the Canadian army at their doorstep, the Métis around Louis don’t appear overly concerned with his innovations, or interested, really. There are much more pressing issues.
The priests of the area, though, are frightened and furious. Their people have taken up arms. Killing has begun. The villages are in anarchy. The priests are being ignored by the majority. There will be hell to pay. They finally do, on April 30, what some say they should have done a long time ago. Louis is officially excommunicated, along with all of his followers. The priests can stand for this no longer. Order must be restored at any cost, and if this means, in the near future, giving information about Métis strength—and weaknesses—to General Middleton, then so be it. What’s most important is that the Canadian government and the Church in Rome clearly understand that the priests of the North-West have nothing to do with this rebellion. Louis, rather than exploding in anger when he hears the news, answers quite calmly, “Priests have been ordained to support the spirit of religion. Priests are not religion.”
Louis doesn’t pin his hopes on these priests. He pins his hopes on something else entirely: Louis still believes that John A. will sit down at the table and make a deal with him to treat the Métis fairly and with respect. Surely the people of Canada, even the Protestant Orangemen, see that what the Métis ask for is fair and just. Surely they will see that the police fired first back
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