Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

The hunter believes and the Good Counsel

Lac la Biche (Canada) (19th century)

At the Lac la Biche mission in what is now Alberta, Oblate missionaries brought an image of Our Lady of Good Counsel in the mid-19th century. This land was frequented by Cree, Dene, and Métis peoples, and the Virgin quickly gained a reputation as a protector of hunters and families. Indigenous and Métis people traveled long distances to attend Marian festivals, especially those surrounding the Assumption, naturally blending the Catholic faith with their own traditions.

From those years, the missionary chronicles record a heartwarming anecdote. A hunter believed he was lost in the woods during a winter storm. Amid the snow and confusion, he vowed to visit the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel if he managed to return to his family. Later, he told the missionaries that, after praying, he found a path that led him back home. And he kept his word: he participated in the next pilgrimage, joining the many who climbed to give thanks to the Virgin.

It is worth distinguishing between the two. The presence of a Marian image, highly venerated by Indigenous and Métis people, in Lac la Biche is documented, as is the organization of pilgrimages and Marian festivals with its participation. The specific account of the lost hunter, on the other hand, comes from missionary chronicles and oral tradition; it is preserved in an edifying tone, and neither the hunter's name nor a precise date is recorded—it is generally placed around 1860-1880.

Beyond the facts, what remains is the essence: a simple man who, lost and cold, knew who to entrust himself to, and who had the honesty to give thanks again.