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They Call Me Father: Memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola
In 1857, the French Roman Catholic religious order, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, began permanent missionary work among the Native peoples of British Columbia. The memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola, a Corsican-born Oblate who arrived in the province in 1880, reveal the complexity of the work carried out by the ordinary missionary priests.
222 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1988
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June 14, 2026
These days the common narrative is that Christianity has been inherently oppressive to Canada's First Nations. The scandal of 215 purported bodies of students at the Kamloops Residential School led to a wave of church burnings across the country. Yet what might be surprising is that in the 1939 British Columbia census, 80% of the province's First Nations claimed Christianity as their religious affiliation (only 28 reported that they still solely held traditional indigenous spiritual beliefs, p. 71). Of the 80%, 57% were Roman Catholics (p. 71). These high numbers lead one to ponder Christianity's relationship with BC's indigenous peoples.
That is why They Call Me Father: Memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola is so valuable. Fr. Coccola, a Corsican Oblate, came to BC in 1880 and ministered throughout the province until his death in Smithers in 1943. As was common for a missionary priest, he was regularly moved around BC, often being charged with ministering to First Nations groups who exhibited hostility towards Christianity. He was a product of his times - paternalistic and, at times, used by the government to persuade the First Nations to adopt the state's preferential policies - but he also braved the wilderness and harsh living conditions in order to spread the Gospel and encourage his charges (both First Nations and white) in their faith. He frequently bemoans how white people had corrupted indigenous peoples through liquor, gambling, and preying on First Nations women. One of the interesting points Fr. Coccola makes is in response to a Protestant minister; the Protestant claims he was not as readily accepted by the First Nations until he was married and he wonders how the priest's celibacy impacts or hinders his ministry. Fr. Coccola remarks that had he a family, he would not be able to minister among the ill because he would fear bringing disease home to his household (p. 105).
About 2/5 of this book is a densely detailed introduction to Fr. Coccola and his memoir by Margaret Whitehead. Both the introduction and accompanying footnotes are loaded with rich scholarship. The latter 3/5s of the book comprise the actual memoir. One gets the sense of how British Columbia grew alongside Fr. Coccola; the environment was changed by industry and achievements like the automobile made ministry quicker than relying on horseback to travel.
That is why They Call Me Father: Memoirs of Father Nicolas Coccola is so valuable. Fr. Coccola, a Corsican Oblate, came to BC in 1880 and ministered throughout the province until his death in Smithers in 1943. As was common for a missionary priest, he was regularly moved around BC, often being charged with ministering to First Nations groups who exhibited hostility towards Christianity. He was a product of his times - paternalistic and, at times, used by the government to persuade the First Nations to adopt the state's preferential policies - but he also braved the wilderness and harsh living conditions in order to spread the Gospel and encourage his charges (both First Nations and white) in their faith. He frequently bemoans how white people had corrupted indigenous peoples through liquor, gambling, and preying on First Nations women. One of the interesting points Fr. Coccola makes is in response to a Protestant minister; the Protestant claims he was not as readily accepted by the First Nations until he was married and he wonders how the priest's celibacy impacts or hinders his ministry. Fr. Coccola remarks that had he a family, he would not be able to minister among the ill because he would fear bringing disease home to his household (p. 105).
About 2/5 of this book is a densely detailed introduction to Fr. Coccola and his memoir by Margaret Whitehead. Both the introduction and accompanying footnotes are loaded with rich scholarship. The latter 3/5s of the book comprise the actual memoir. One gets the sense of how British Columbia grew alongside Fr. Coccola; the environment was changed by industry and achievements like the automobile made ministry quicker than relying on horseback to travel.
Displaying 1 of 1 review