TULALIP — The earliest services at St. Anne’s Church in Tulalip were bilingual: English and Lushootseed, the traditional language of many Western Washington American Indian tribes.
Catholic priest Eugene Casimir Chirouse arrived at Tulalip Bay in 1857 to establish a Catholic presence among the Indian people there. He learned Lushootseed in order to hold services his congregation could understand.
Later, the federal government embarked on a massive campaign to eradicate Indian languages. Mass at St. Anne’s from then on was conducted in Latin and English.
On Sunday, the congregation at St. Anne’s plans to celebrate a return to the old ways with its third annual Lushootseed Mass.
“We incorporate Lushootseed into every Mass, but we celebrate it especially on this day,” said the Rev. Jerry Graham, who serves at the parish.
The Rev. Patrick Twohy, a priest revered by Coast Salish people throughout the region, began the Lushootseed Mass tradition. When he left the parish, Graham continued that work, and has added more Lushootseed to the annual event and weekly services.
“When we go back to an earlier tradition, what we find is that it was a multilingual parish to begin with,” Graham said. “Father Chirouse would have preached in both English and Lushootseed, and many hymns would have been translated into Lushootseed.”
Today, the parish also offers a Spanish-language Mass. On Sunday, elements of all three languages spoken at the parish will be present, Graham said.
“We’re returning to how the original church was,” he said.
Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422, kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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