The Holy West and the Land of Perpetual Snow Jesuit Missionaries in the Rocky Mountains and Alaska (1840-1912)

The paper examines the origins and development of Jesuit missionary efforts in the Rocky Mountains’ territories (1841) and in Alaska (1886) highlighting the coordinating role of the Turin Province and some aspects of the contribution of female congregations. Situated within the nineteenth-century Jesuit missionary revival, it explores institutional frameworks, native language study as a tool for evangelisation and instruction. Moreover, it shows how the Rocky Mountains experience served as a precedent for Jesuit missions in Alaska, illustrating the circulation of missionary models despite geographic and cultural differences.