To the editor:
I have lived in Aroostook County since October of 1993, mostly in Presque Isle. When I first came here, a friend of mine who lived in Mapleton told me that Presque Isle was 15 percent French-speaking. I am not sure where she got her information from and I don’t even know if it was accurate, but regardless, that is what I was told. As it turned out, I started going to Mass at Saint Mary’s and quickly started noticing that many parish members had French surnames. Although many of these parishioners can understand French better than they can speak it and some don’t know it at all, many other parishioners here speak French well. Some, in fact, speak English with more than just a trace of a French accent! They learned their prayers in French long before learning them in English, but they will not pray, publicly, in their mother tongue. That’s very sad. Doesn’t the Church belong to us all? Doesn’t Catholic mean “universal?”
Therefore, Francophone Catholics in this community should not be afraid, or think that it is in any way impolite, to pray occasionally in French. In 17 years, I have almost never heard even one decade of the Rosary recited in French here. I have only heard this done twice, and one of the “culprits” turned out to be me. (Those of you who know me well will not find that surprising.) Ironically, the one person (in 17 years) who asked specifically to hear a decade of the Rosary recited in French was not even a native French speaker. Hmmm!
I am well aware that Presque Isle is primarily an English-speaking community. I have nothing against speaking English, and I have nothing against praying in English. However, that having been said, I also think that those of us who speak French and know our prayers in French should not neglect the language until someone else out there finally gives us permission to speak it or pray in it. It’s part of who we are. Donc, parlons français, et prions le Seigneur!
Presque Isle
