Reflections on the 175th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Saint Paul Mission in Kettle Falls (WA),

I was honored to be invited to offer some reflections as the Catholic community in Kettle Falls, WA celebrated the 175th anniversary of the foundation of the Saint Paul Mission there. The questions I chose to reflect on were not so much the "when, where, and who" historical questions, but the much more personal "what was it like for the missionaries on the inside?" I found my resources for responding to that question from my own "missionary" experiences as a pastor over the years. 

This is a read version of the text I prepared. The actual talk in the mission church was much longer!