Reflection on the Life of Father Sebastian Râle - Falmouth

Prayers, reflections, and readings commemorating the 300th anniversary of the killing of Father Sebastian Râle will be shared at Holy Martyrs of North America Church in Falmouth, on Sunday, August 25, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Originally from France, Father Râle was a Jesuit priest who ministered to the Abenaki people along the Kennebec River. His mission work coincided with the struggle for the Americas between the English and the French, during which Father Râle fiercely defended the rights of the Abenaki people, leading to death at the hands of the British in 1724.

On the Friday, August 23, Father James Nadeau will celebrate a Mass at 3 p.m. at St. Sebastian Cemetery, located on Father Rasle Road in Madison, where there is a memorial to Father Râle. Following the Mass, Joseph Moreshead, director of faith formation at the Parish of the Holy Eucharist, will offer a talk on the Jesuit martyr.

On Saturday, the annual Father Râle pilgrimage will be held, tracing the steps where he preached and ministered to the Abenaki people. The pilgrimage will begin at 9 a.m. at St. Sebastian Church, 161 Main Street in Madison, where prayers will be offered and excerpts from Father Râle's letters will be shared.

Following that, participants will take a five-minute drive to the park on Father Rasle Road. They will then process along the river where the Norridgewock village used to be, stopping along the way to read and reflect on Fr. Râle’s descriptions of the hostilities between the French and the English that would lead to his death. The pilgrimage concludes at the monument where the Norridgewock church was located and where Fr. Râle was killed and was believed to be buried. The pilgrimage will conclude around noon.

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