Father Pietro Bignami, a beloved Roman Catholic priest who ministered to the pastoral needs of Cree First Nations faithful in Northern Manitoba for more than 60 years, died July 5 at the age of 83.

He had been at the Riverview Health Centre in Winnipeg after suffering two strokes in May. Father Bignami was a member of the Missionarii sub titulo sanctissimae Virginis Mariae Imaculatae, or Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), from the order's Taché District in Lacombe Province.

Eugene de Mazenod from Aix-en-Provence in France founded the Oblates order. Pope Leo XII approved the new congregation on Feb. 17, 1826. De Mazenod served as Bishop of Marseille and was elected superior general of the Oblates. He was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II on Dec. 3, 1995.

A native of Italy, Father Bignami was ordained Feb. 12, 1950 and set sail shortly after for Canada and Northern Manitoba's Oxford House, speaking fluent Italian and Latin, the universal language of the Roman Catholic Church, but not a word of English or Cree, at the age of 24. The first language he would learn in Canada would be Cree, later followed by French, the first language of many of the Oblate priests and sisters from several orders in Northern Manitoba in the early 1950s.

Later, Father Bignami would in time learn English, and still later, Spanish, as he spent winter reprieves from the Northern cold among the Hispanic Catholic population of Texas.

The voyage across the ocean in 1950 got rough and Father Bignami was hearing plenty of confessions on the ship as it sailed from Europe to Canada, Father Eugene Whyte, also an Oblate, and a friend of Father Bignami, recalled in his homily July 11 at St. Lawrence Church in Thompson, where he serves as pastor.

Father Bignami's first posting was at St. Antoine Daniel in Oxford House, 160 kilometres southeast of Thompson, on the Bunibonibee Cree Nation. Sixty years after his arrival in Oxford House, Cree is still the first language learned by 93.5 per cent of residents and is spoken at home by 94.1 per cent of residents, according to federal statistics.

The total area of the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas is 430,000 square kilometres and comprises the northern parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The farthest point west is LaLoche, Sask., near the Alberta border. The farthest point north is Lac Brochet and the farthest point east is Sandy Lake in Northwestern Ontario, a fly-in aboriginal community. The territory west of James Bay was called "Keewatin" meaning, "North wind blowing" in Cree.

Demographically, the diverse archdiocese has about 44,600 Roman Catholics, including about 9,500 whites, 28,500 First Nations members and 6,500 Métis.

There are 49 missions in the archdiocese: 27 in Manitoba, 21 in Saskatchewan and one in Ontario. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate established the first mission at Ile-à-la-Crosse, Sask. in 1860.

Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie, 63, originally from North Battleford, Sask. and also a member of the Lacombe Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), heads the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas. The archdiocesan seat and Bishop's House is at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in The Pas.

Several years ago, Brother Jerry Prazma, another Oblate, shared his memories of working with Father Bignami at St. Helen's in South Indian Lake for the order's Ottawa-based newsletter INFO Lacombe.

“When I first arrived to take on the role of lay minister to the people of South Indian Lake, Father Pietro Bignami, OMI, a gentle, elderly man with many years of missionary experience, was the priest at St. Helen's Mission. He came to our parish about once every two months to have Sunday mass, staying for several days visiting the people and doing his priestly ministry before moving on to other missions. It was always a special event for the people when he would arrive.

“Father Bignami said that the native people were an ‘event people' rather than a regular Sunday service people. Historically, the people celebrated events such as berry picking, hunting and fishing. After the coming of Christianity, they celebrated other special events: Christmas, Easter, marriage, baptism and, of course, a visit from the priest.

“One Sunday while Father Bignami was present to celebrate mass for us, I left a gallon of water by the altar for him to bless. During the liturgy, I was busy trying to keep some order with the children so they would not disrupt the prayer.

“After mass, I asked father if he had seen and blessed the water. With a twinkle in his eye he replied, ‘Yes, I blessed it, but from now on you can bless it yourselves. It doesn't require a priest to bless water.' He then continued, ‘It's easier for you as a brother to do these things with the people then it is for a priest. A priest has a certain role but, in some ways, as a brother you can be closer to the people. You can work with them doing these things together.'”

Even at the age of 83, Father Bignami split his time between Sacred Heart in Pukatawagan and St. Peter in Brochet, spending two weeks in Pukatawagan, flying out to The Pas, travelling by bus to Thompson, and then flying into Brochet for two weeks. Two weeks later he'd reverse the itinerary.

He also served for a time at St. Francis of Assisi in Gillam.

Father Bignami would take the bus from The Pas, which arrived in Thompson around 2 a.m., Whyte said. He would leave some red wine and cheese out for him in the rectory kitchen and when he heard Father Bignami's glass clink, he'd knew he had arrived, so he'd wake up and get up in the middle of night and they'd have a visit, Whyte said.

Father Bignami was known to say when he died,, “To bury him in whichever community he happened to be in at the time.” Whyte said, in reference to his shuttling back and forth between Brochet and Pukatawagan. “Someone asked him what if he died when he was halfway in between?” Father Whyte recalled. Father Bignami reportedly quipped they should bury him half in Pukatawagan and half in Brochet.

His funeral was held at Sacred Heart Church in Pukatawagan July 10 with burial in Sacred Heart Cemetery there.