Main Feature
Lawrence DeMong’s Prophetic Witness
Paul Paproski, OSB, Muenster, SK
Volume 34 Issue 1, 2 & 3 | Posted: March 27, 2020
When a senior Benedictine priest is sent to a new parish, he is often given a congregation close to his monastic community. Rev. Lawrence DeMong, OSB does not fit into this tradition. He accepted the role as pastor of two parishes in northern Saskatchewan at the youthful age of 79. His parishes were in La Ronge and Southend, some 400 and 600 kilometres north of his home of St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster.
The parishes were separated by 200 kilometres of gravel road. Lawrence DeMong returned to St. Peter’s Abbey in August after three years of service at St. John Vianney in La Ronge and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Southend. The Octogenarian is not a typical 82-year-old. Father Lawrence is full of zeal and energy that keeps him busy in the abbey and diocese.
When a senior Benedictine priest is sent to a new parish, he is often given a congregation close to his monastic community. Rev. Lawrence DeMong, OSB does not fit into this tradition. He accepted the role as pastor of two parishes in northern Saskatchewan at the youthful age of 79. His parishes were in La Ronge and Southend, some 400 and 600 kilometres north of his home of St. Peter’s Abbey, Muenster.
The parishes were separated by 200 kilometres of gravel road. Lawrence DeMong returned to St. Peter’s Abbey in August after three years of service at St. John Vianney in La Ronge and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Southend. The Octogenarian is not a typical 82-year-old. Father Lawrence is full of zeal and energy that keeps him busy in the abbey and diocese.
Archbishop Murray Chatlain of Keewatin-Le Pas Archdiocese, encouraged Lawrence to remain connected with St. Peter’s Abbey. He suggested that Lawrence spend his time, equally, at Southend, La Ronge and the abbey. This system allowed him to build a rapport with his parishioners while remaining connected to his Benedictine home.
The days were not spent as planned, he remarked. He spent the largest portion of his schedule at Southend, often because of funerals and weddings. In 2018, a forest fire forced him to return to the abbey for a short stay and that made up lost days there. “I should point out that, in retrospect, the time at the abbey was a brilliant idea for caring for my own personal needs. I’m sure that Bishop Murray’s own experience, as well as hearing from his priests, prompted that decision.
Father Petronilo, my successor, and I went through a particularly stressful time when some tragic events occurred. I invited the new Filipino priest to accompany me to the abbey for a few days of rest and gave a standing invitation to come for future breaks.”
Although the mission in the north was an opportunity to evangelize and sanctify God’s people through prayerfully celebrating the sacraments, Lawrence said, it is essential that a priest help build a healthy parish and community life. The La Ronge community, he remarked, was quite autonomous with an active parish council, lay presiders and well-organized committees.
Southend had generous volunteers, though they were shy about taking on church leadership, probably another sign of the need to encourage more Aboriginal traditions and ceremonies within their liturgy.
While serving as a pastor in Saskatoon, Lawrence had attended the sessions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The experience was very helpful in his northern parish work. He was very moved by the personal stories of First Nations people who suffered from abuse.
“It was especially moving to see how individuals can overcome the negative effects of past history and be proud of what they are accomplishing by way of healing and sharing a new vision for all of us on the verge of disaster because of our insatiable greed and abuse of our planet.”
Southend presented Lawrence some unexpected challenges. The church facilities, such as the confessional and outhouse, called for a change. He worked with a school bus driver, who had a good rapport with the families whom he served. He gathered volunteers who helped to save a building by installing some discarded metal roofing.
“My big ‘coup’ in doing essential, but non-priestly work, was fixing the church furnace, cell phone in hand with the church maintenance person in La Ronge directing my moves on his cell phone!”
The parishioners of La Ronge had only one Sunday Eucharist each month. The Southend parish had two celebrations each month. Weekday Masses were divided equally between parishes. The people in La Ronge liked celebrating Eucharist around the kitchen table, a practice that began during the cold weather, to save heating the church. Parishioners at Southend preferred to celebrate Eucharist in the church.
A larger number attended the celebrations, a sign of their appreciation. The parish in La Ronge has about 80 families who are regularly involved in the parish. The parishioners come from a First Nations and diverse international background. There are almost an equal number of Cree and Metis there, as well as some Dene.
Some recent additions have come from the Philippines. The community of Southend has about 70 families who are very welcoming and accepting, Lawrence remarked. The people, with the exception of the police and a few nurses, are almost entirely Cree. Names such as Cook, Clarke or Morin indicate a connection with settlers who originated from Europe.
School staff positions, as well as other professional jobs in Southend, are held by members of the First Nations. All ethnic backgrounds in La Ronge are represented in the work force. First Nations Peoples, in both communities, are employed in hunting and fishing. Southend is an island on the southern tip of Reindeer Lake and the community once had an important commercial project involving Kinasao which prepared fish for export.
Lawrence is pleased he was able to form many friendships in the communities he served. He became involved with the La Ronge Ministerial Association and appreciated the ecumenical cooperation there. Both he and Heather Wyatt, United Church minister, delivered the Remembrance Day Service reflection.
The evangelical pastor in Southend was very welcoming. He and his wife worked with Lawrence to prepare Christian Unity Week services. The Catholic community provided a lunch. “In my Christmas letter when I knew that it was my final year in the north, I mentioned that I hoped to spend the balance of my energy trying to help save our home (’oikos’ — ecology in Greek, our home, our planet).
“Scientists are giving us about 11 more years to stop abusing and polluting our ‘home’ and already millions of climate refugees are looking for a new place to live because their own spaces are unlivable. Besides being a monk and priest who loves to celebrate communal prayer and liturgy, I hope I can do something for those little ones including our own children.”
Lawrence concluded, “I hope my short time in the north might be like those Cree classes with the Grade One kids, opening up new and huge treasures of wisdom, helping us all to learn from each other, to build a world of mutual enrichment, justice and joy.”
Paul Paproski, OSB, Muenster, SK