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Cathedral preserves saint's Bible;
dedication this Sunday
 | | Enmegahbowh's Bible |
The dedication of the Bible of Enmegabhowh, the 19th century priest of the Ojibwe White Earth Nation, will take place at Christ Church Cathedral this Sunday, October 28, at 10 a.m.
Enmegahbowh is the first recognized Native American priest in the Episcopal Church.
The cathedral's Native American Council commissioned the restoration of the Bible in a project spearheaded by member Megan Emery, a conservator who also grew up in northern Minnesota near White Earth.
The conservation is part of the ministry of the cathedral's Native American Council. In the early 1980s, a sizable bequest established the cathedral's Lansley Native American Endowment and Mission Fund. Two years ago, the cathedral chartered the Native American Council to make decisions about programming and endowment spending, guided by three principles:
▪ Provide hands-on outreach
▪ Contribute to education and theological development
▪ Support initiatives to empower Native American societies and ministries
With the council's blessing, Emery made contact and began building relationships with leaders at White Earth. A priest for one of the reservation churches gave Emery the Bible, asking if the council could play a role in restoring it.  | | Megan Emery cleans the cover of the Bible |
The Bible is very worn, with the entire book block detached from the hard cover and pages missing or torn. Emery will write guidelines on how to protect and handle the Bible into the future. The council is purchasing a secure case for permanent display at St. Columba's, where Enmegahbowh is buried.
The conservation project takes on even more significance for the congregation, said King, considering that a lightning strike in 1989 destroyed the church building and all of its artifacts from Enmegahbowh's era. Although a similar Bible might be worth only $600 to $800 to book collectors, its value to the tribe is priceless.
In celebration of the rededication, the congregation will be joined at the service by members of White Earth in Minnesota. The service will include native flutes, drums and singing by members of Ojibwe Nation. Bishop Tom Breidenthal will preside, along with Bishop Brian Prior of Minnesota and Bishop Stacy Sauls from The Episcopal Church Center.
Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. 4th Street (corner of 4th and Sycamore) in downtown Cincinnati. For more information, call 513.621.1817. | 
John Johnson Enmegahbowh, an Odawa (Ottawa) Indian from Canada, was raised in the Midewiwin traditional healing way of his grandfather and the Christian religion of his mother. He came into the United States as a Methodist missionary in 1832. At one point Enmegahbowh attempted to abandon missionary work and return to Canada, but the boat was turned back by storms on Lake Superior, providing him a vision: "Here Mr. Jonah came before me and said, 'Ah, my friend Enmegahbowh, I know you. You are a fugitive. You have sinned and disobeyed God. Instead of going to the city of Nineveh, where God sent you to spread his word to the people, you started to go, and then turned aside. You are now on your way to the city of Tarsish....'"
