There are some incredible stories. Pierre Jean Smet's is one of them.
The other evening, still chatting with my friend JB about C., I shared my idea of a priest arriving in Japan in the 1830s—something virtually impossible. Japan was completely closed off from the outside world, the Meiji era was quietly brewing behind the scenes, and above all, religious orders, like the rest of the Western world, had fallen head over heels for the New World. Yes, but one must always hope for a great, independent Catholic figure.
Pierre Jean de Smet is one such example. This priest, nicknamed "Black Cassock" by the Native Americans, negotiated with Sitting Bull while Lincoln sought his advice. Never one to mince words, he often performed miracles (reading his life story shows how much that word can still mean). An incredible journey through the Rocky Mountains and a tremendous source of inspiration, Father de Smet brought ethics to a world where politicians had only offered cynicism and pragmatism.
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