Dear Editor,
I am pleased to have this opportunity to acknowledge and honor the life and work of Father Antonio Ravalli, whose 200th birthday will be celebrated this month.
Father Ravalli was an extraordinary individual. If he were alive today, the term overachiever might be used to describe his talents and accomplishments. Certainly his skills and abilities benefited his parishioners in tangible ways, but it is perhaps the last line of the statement prepared for display when he was inducted into the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans that is his real legacy: “He loved with a warm heart.”
Father Ravalli was a man of great compassion and his generosity of spirit legendary. His contributions are beyond measure and I am honored to join in this commemoration of his remarkable life.
I thank the citizens of Ravalli County and other contributors for their continued efforts to keep the memory of Father Ravalli and the St. Mary’s Mission alive for future generations of Montanans.
Brian Schweitzer, Governor
State of Montana