A Field Guide to French Peoples 3

The French have been
Reliably Catholic
For many years.

The French
Who arrived
In the New World
Kept the tradition
Alive.

In fact, 
On my mother’s side
We have an actual saint,
André Bessette,
Who humbly held doors open
For the world.

In a French quarter
Of an English-speaking world,
These were people
Who faced
Persistent 
Persecution.

So they migrated
To the United States.

They established communities
That fostered Catholics,
Filled with parishes,
Where the French language
Was kept alive.

By my generation,
French was no longer
Passed down
And the parishes
Were aging.

Like many younger Catholics
Ours was vanishing
From the pews.

And a heritage
Fades into history,
But not from memory.

No,
Not from that.

There
Will be
At least 
One more
To know 
Of these things.

And perhaps,
Just perhaps,
Many more.

And the doors
Remain open.

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