“Death Comes for the Archbishop: Scholarly Edition” by Willa Cather
University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1999, 315 pages, Grades 9 through adult.
Willa Cather is the most famous author in history from Nebraska. She grew up in Red Cloud and attended the University of Nebraska.
At the university, Cather studied English and started a career in journalism. This interest in journalistic writing will later evolve into a desire to write fiction. The impact of the American West is present in many of her novels. The stories of immigrant families also formed an important element in some of her best writing, such as the famous novel “My Antonia.” Though not a Catholic, her novels are frequently centered on Catholic characters and themes.
“Death Comes for the Archbishop” is an example of her interest and talent. This is a majestic novel about the life of Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy, the first bishop of Santa Fe, N.M. Cather renames Archbishop Lamy for the story. The name used in the novel is Archbishop Jean Marie Latour.
The story begins in Rome with a French missionary bishop from the United States requesting assistance from the Vatican. The New Mexico Territory has just been acquired and lacks a bishop.
The American Southwest seems like a vast, unknown land to the cardinals and they know starting a new diocese will be difficult and expensive. The missionary bishop tells the cardinals a French missionary priest in his own diocese, Father Jean Marie Latour, would make an excellent candidate for the diocese. The appointment process begins in Rome.
When Father Latour receives his bishopric, he begins the difficult journey to New Mexico. He loses his clothing and papers in a shipwreck and gets lost in the New Mexico desert. Kneeling in the brush, he prays to God for guidance. His prayers are answered, and soon he finds his way. When Bishop Latour finally gets to Santa Fe, he faces a revolt from lazy, selfish priests. Since his documents were also lost in the shipwreck, the rebelling priests demand a signed document from the bishop in Durango, Mexico.
Latour rides 1,500 miles to Durango and gets the document. Completing the 3,000-mile trip, he returns to Santa Fe and takes control of the diocese. It quickly becomes apparent that the bishop is there to serve the people of the Santa Fe diocese. He travels tirelessly on horseback throughout the desert to visit small parishes scattered throughout the vast territory. All the time, he desires to bring Christ into the lives of Mexican, Indian and white citizens of the immense land. In this heroic work, he is assisted by his close friend, Father Vaillant. Their love for Christ and the desire to share Him with the people of New Mexico sustains them in the face of sand storms, mountain blizzards, hunger and thirst. It is a story of great courage and faith. How do they do it?
What drives these two men to such heroic lives? Why do the people of New Mexico develop such a deep love for these priests? How does grace direct their work? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this marvelous novel.
Willa Cather brilliantly describes the physical world in her novels. After you read “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” you will know what New Mexico looks like before visiting the state. There is a poetry in her descriptions of the mountains and sky that can bring you to tears. It is important to let Willa Cather soak into your heart and mind when reading her novels. These are not light, quick reads. However, she shows us the power of faith and the importance of God in our lives. Cather reaches for the eternal in some of her finest characters and gently brings readers to that realization as well. I hope you can read some of Willa Cather’s novels. They are magnificent.
