Archives and Records
1839: Catholic Ladder - Cowlitz Mission
Catholic Ladder: Photo:1939, St. Edward Seminary, Kenmore Washington
1839: Rev. F. N. Blanchet presented the Catholic Ladder at the Cowlitz Mission
The Catholic Ladder was invented in the spring of 1839 by Father F. N. Blanchet. It was used as a tool to explain the history of the Catholic faith to Native Americans and settlers who were not familiar with the story of salvation history. It begins at the bottom with six circles representing the days of creation, continues through the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, through the Passion and Resurrection, the establishment of the Church, and ending with Father Blanchet and the present day. The Native Americans called the Ladder “Sahale stick,” meaning “stick from heaven”. Father Blanchet’s fellow missionaries adopted the ladder to clarify some difficult concepts for the Native Americans, and to provide a link between the traditions and history of the church, and the present.
Sources: