"Lacombe" genre: Folk
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	A song about Father Lacombe, a missionary priest revered by Alberta'a Native population.
	CD: Northern Sightlines   Label: Independent Credits: Lyrics and Music: John Spearn
	Story Behind the Song Note: This selection is recommended for a Catholic School program, and optional for a Public School program.) A remarkable missionary priest; he was revered by the Aboriginals who inhabited the great Canadian plains. His name remains prominent in many places throughout present-day Alberta. Born in 1827 in Quebec, he lived to a ripe old age of 89, dying in 1916. A legacy of the Oblate priests endures through a famous annual pilgrimage, held each July, on the shores of Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta. People of the Catholic faith (and other Christian faiths), including many of Aboriginal backgrounds, gather to bathe in the "healing waters" at the original mission site, where Lacombe was stationed in 1852. Lyrics When he came to the Territory . . . The wild lands of the Blackfoot, the Blood, and the Cree. Four thousand light years from his home on the Seaway, Albert was his name. And the Lord was his fame. And there'd be no more comfort, no fortune, just glory. Where? . . . in God's name. An Oblate priest, He'd follow the plan, With a mission as clear as the bell. To work with the natives at Lac Ste. Anne, And make them believe - pray tell! How you never question your station, Never cry when you grieve for your home, And the priest, called Lacombe, Like a castaway did roam! Bearing his cross, like an albatross, on his heart. Travelling far and away, the Lord's word to impart. Never ceasing in kindness, always stopping to pray. Staying and talking, smiling and giving, boldly praising the day. Blessing and healing, teaching and sharing, throwing himself in the way! He'd say, "The Lord is our constant companion, On this frozen earth that we roam! And very nearby, there is Heaven, To get there . . . just visit our home!" As an honour in death the natives who called him Good Heart, "Aah-sass-kit-si-pah-pi-wa's* gone!" a death cry did start. A lake full of tears, they mystically praised the dead father, And forever, amen, Lac Ste. Anne . . . will have healing water. *Blackfoot for "The Good Heart" © 1996 John Spearn

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