God's Explorers

A Television Documentary by Susan Cardinal

The Christian Chord

With the establishment of a Catholic beachhead, the Oblates sought out the Dene. One by one, and camp by camp, they evangelized the people scattered up and down the Mackenzie Valley. Here, two radically different worlds -- the European Christian and the nomadic Dene -- met and found common ground through the gospel.

"They talked about that man, Jesus," says retired Oblate René Fumoleau, omi * "… the Dene listened to that and they said ‘Oh ya, that’s a man who knew about the sunrise and sunset … and the flowers and the trees and the fish and the storm; he was very close to nature … to the environment … so he was a guy like us.’ And I think that’s why the Dene people here accepted Jesus’ message quite easily."

In time, both worlds would pay a steep price for the Divine Imperative that drove "God’s Explorers" to the far reaches of the Canadian frontier.

*omi = Oblates of Mary Immaculate             

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God's Explorers premiered on 

History Television Canada 

Wednesday, January 2, 2002

9PM ET/PT 

"The Church was loved by the people. The Church was powerful. But we hit the Titanic with modern society"

Bishop Denis Croteau, omi

Bishop of the Mackenzie Valley in "God's Explorers"

omi - Oblates of Mary Immaculate

God's Explorers' funding agencies and broadcasters