L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano M issionaries who traveled to America in the 1800s dramatically altered the social, cultural and political landscape of the American West. These men typically entered a religious order at a young age. If they volunteered for missionary service, they would leave their homelands with a good chance they would never see their fami- ly or native country again. Missionaries were responsible not only for tending to the reli- gious needs of their congrega- tion, such as saying mass and performing baptisms, but also the day-to-day management of a large community. The early mis- sions had to be self-supporting, providing their own meat, veg- etables and produce. Tradesmen skilled at making things the set- tlers needed, such as candles and tools, were always in demand. Father Luigi Rossi, a mission- ary priest in the mid-1800s, spent six years tending to the faithful, first in Washington Territory and later in northern California. His detailed memoir, "Six Years in A merica, California and Oregon," published in 1863, gives a fascinating look at his life. Rossi was born Abramo De Ros s i to J ew is h parents in Ferrara, Italy, in 1817. He con- verted to Catholicism at the age of 18 and changed his name to the more Italian-sounding Luigi Angelo Maria Rossi. Rossi wanted to become a missionary priest and first joined a s trict order called the Passionists. But the religious order was not a good match for him and he was asked to leave. He became a secular priest and was ordained in 1843. In 1856, Rossi traveled to Brussels to meet with Bishop Augustin Blanchet, who was there to recruit missionaries for far-off Washington Territory. As a F rench-Can adian, Bis hop Blanchet had been born in the "new world" and later became the first bishop of Walla Walla, Wash. Blanchet was assigned to the Nisqually diocese, which he adminis tered from F ort V ancouver, Was h., on the Columbia River. Rossi evidently made a good impression on the bishop and was accepted as a missionary bound for the Pacific Northwest. H e firs t landed in M ontreal where he helped recruit five Sisters of Charity of Providence to serve with him. In December 1856, he arrived at F ort Vancouver and became Bishop Blanchet's secretary and general "gofer." The following year, Rossi was reassigned and sent to min- ister to 300 Catholics who lived in an area fro m the Cow litz River in the s outh to the Canadian border in the north, from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Today that area comprises 15 counties in western Washington. His written instructions left no doubt about his duties: "The w hites w ill be s pecially the object of your pastoral solicitude [and] the Reverend O blate Fathers being specially charged to evangelize the savages." Rossi chose Fort Steilacoom as his base because of the many Irish and German Catholics sta- tioned there as soldiers. There were also several families who lived nearby. During his stay, he helped the pioneers build a chapel at the fort, called St. Michael the Archangel, which was Washington's first Catholic church. In fact, St. Michael's was built twice: first by Rossi and RITA CIPALLA Father Luigi Rossi: Serving the early pioneer communities of Puget Sound the soldiers at Fort Steilacoom, and again when the church was moved, board by board, by w agon, to the city of Steilacoom, about one-and-a- half miles aw ay. When the church was re-consecrated after its move, Bishop Blanchet erro- neous ly dedicated it to the Immaculate Conception and the name stuck. The church is still located today in Steilacoom at the corner of N is qually and Main streets. With virtually no roads and few passable trails, Rossi made his rounds occas ionally on horseback, but more often by canoe. He also used the paddle boats and steamers that plied Puget Sound on a regular basis. He was constantly on the move and became a familiar sight in his b lack robe and broad- brimmed hat. In 1858, Rossi moved to Port Townsend because, as he later wrote: "There are many locali- ties I must minister to. [It] is more central than Steilacoom. Moreover, in case of need, the faithful in S teilacoom and Olympia can easily avail them- selves of the Oblates….All these reasons, added to the opportuni- ty of building a church in Port Townsend, induced me to trans- fer my residence there." An 1855 census estimated there were 926 Klallam Indians living in the region (although another report counted only 400). The white population was on the upswing, though. By the 1860 census, Port Townsend recorded 264 settlers, making it the seventh most populous town in the territory. Throughout his four years in the Northwest, Rossi suffered from severe health problems. He asked repeatedly to be allowed to return to Europe; Bis hop Blanchet finally relented in 1860. While w aiting in S an Francisco for a ship to take him home, Rossi took responsibility for another missionary territory that stretched 240 miles from Santa Rosa to Crescent City, Calif. Finally his ship arrived and he returned to Europe, never to cross the Atlantic again. A t the urging of friends , Rossi began writing his memoirs which today offer a unique per- s pective on 19th-century American history and, in partic- ular, the history of Washington and California. His affection for America and Americans shines through the text. "All those who know America, love it. Indeed, how would it be possible not to love such a liberal country?" he wrote. Fr. Luigi Rossi died on Sept. 9, 1871 and is buried in Paris. A lthough his time in the American West was short, his influence can be felt to this day through the s ix churches he helped build: two in Washington State and four in California at Bodega, Tomales, Healdsburg and Santa Rosa. In 1858, Fr. Rossi moved to Port Townsend, Wash., which had fewer than 260 residents at the time. This 1862 photo shows the hotels and businesses along Water Street. (UW Special Collections) Bishop Augustin Blanchet, the first bishop of Walla Walla, Wash., later served the Nisqually diocese in south Puget Sound. In 1856, while on a trip to Belgium, he recruited Fr. Rossi to assist him in on the west coast SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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