Diocese of
CHURCHILL-HUDSON BAY-NUNAVUT

Inuktituk Translations

The Inuit mission is also endowed with a system of printing which produces timely catechetical or liturgical publications. In the area of translation were working specially Oblate Fathers: Rogatien Papion, Hubert Mascaret, Georges Lorson and Théophile Didier. Father Didier (1910-1986) in gratitude for his linguistic works, especially the translation and publication of the Inuktituk New Testament, was honoured with the prize of the Comissioner of the Northwest Territories (1982). In 1986 he received the title of Doctor "Honoris Causa" from the University of Toronto.

Father Didier's works were recently revised by Fr. Robert Lechat OMI, who is working also on the addition to well known Dictionary of Inuktituk Language composed by Fr. Lucien Schneider OMI.

Dedication of the missionaries to the work on Inuktituk translations brings fruits: Inuit have acces to the Bible and liturgy in their own language.

Publications

Apart biblical, liturgical and catechetical translations, published for the Diocese, there is a large documentation concerning missionary activity of the Oblates in the Central Arctic. First of all the Eskimo Magazine, which appears since 1944, edited first by Fr. Jean Philippe OMI and then by Fr. Guy Mary-Rousselière OMI. Its content of vaste prospective, anthropological, archeological, historical, social and religious makes Magazine an important source of information about Inuit culture and different "northern" issues.

On the field of biographies few books were published by Fr. Charles Choque OMI. As dedicated to the archivistic work for the Oblate Delegation of Hudson Bay and himself for many years missionary to the Inuit Fr. Choque tells story of life of such well known up north Oblates as Fr. Pierre Henry, Fr. Guy Mary-Rousselière, Fr. Lionel Ducharme, Fr. Joseph Buliard.