From the Beginning:
History of the Diocese of Joliet

Exploration
The story of our faith in relationship to this place now known as the Joliet Diocese reaches back to 1672, when the French missionary-explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet (from the French spelled "Jolliet") began their journey through what is now Wisconsin to the Mississippi River. They then traveled back up through the Illinois and DesPlaines rivers to Lake Michigan in their return to Quebec.

Because we share a common name, we have a special interest in Louis Joliet who was born in 1645 at Quebec. At 17 he entered the society of Jesus, but after three years decided to seek the life of a prosperous trader and "voyageur." At age 27, together with Marquette and five other companions, he made this journey of discovery. Joliet brought not only a fur trader's stamina and skill with Native American language, but also a missionary spirit.

We know of Joliet's journey only through recollection. Hurrying toward Montreal on his return in 1673, Joliet's canoe capsized and the story is told that all his journals and maps were lost. We can be grateful that Father Marquette was, in the Jesuit missionary tradition, a great keeper of the journal.

Joliet gave his name to a mound along the DesPlaines River which would be quarried away even as the city of Joliet grew.

Evangelization
Father Marquette and Joliet brought with them a strong desire to share the Gospel, and a great respect for the people they encountered. In a time when missionary efforts were often associated with the abuses of colonialism, the first stories of evangelization in the Diocese of Joliet offer another perspective.

While many different Native American Cultures were encountered in this area, the tribe known as the Illinois was the dominant group. The explorers found the Illinois to be handsome, lively, intelligent; Father Marquette compared their dances with the beauty of the ballet in Paris. Most important, Father Marquette and Joliet found the Illinois to be open to the one gift of real value that they had to offer - the proclamation of the Gospel.