Anton Docher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anton Docher
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King Albert I of Belgium and the Queen during their visit in Isleta pueblo 1919 with State Governor and Anton Docher in the foreground.
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| Born | 1852 Le Crest, Puy-de-Dôme, France
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| Died | 1928 Isleta,
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Anton Docher (1852–1928) was a French Catholic priest. He was a missionary who worked with Native American communities. He spent 34 years serving the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico, in the Southwest of the United States. He was well-known for standing up for the rights of the Native American people.
Anton Docher was born in France. After finishing his studies and serving in the army, he moved to the United States in 1887. He first worked in Santa Fe and then briefly in Taos. In 1891, he was sent to the Pueblo of Isleta in New Mexico. He stayed there until he passed away. In the U.S., his first name became Anton, but people also called him Antonin, Antonio, or Anthony.
Contents
Life Story
Anton Docher was born in 1852 in Le Crest, a small village in Auvergne, France. His father passed away when Anton and his three brothers were young. Anton worked in vineyards with his brothers and widowed mother.
When he was 18, he started studying to become a priest at a seminary. He studied there for eight years.
Military Service
At 27, Anton had to join the army. He served in North Africa, in Tunisia. Then he went to Cochinchina (which is now part of Vietnam). He fought in the army there for five years and became a sergeant. He was hurt and received a medal for being brave. His time in the army made him believe that taking over other countries was wrong. He got sick with a lung illness and returned to France. He then went back to his studies to become a priest.
Becoming a Missionary
Anton Docher always wanted to be a missionary. On October 21, 1887, he left France for New Mexico. He studied for two more years, learning some local Native American languages. He became a priest in the Cathedral of Santa Fe. He worked in Bernalillo and Taos for two years.
Serving the Isleta Pueblo
In 1891, Father Docher moved to the Pueblo of Isleta. This community of Tiwa Indians is located near the Rio Grande river, south of Albuquerque. During his many years in Isleta, he also helped churches in Laguna, Acoma, Los Lunas, and Peralta.
In 1893, he found a very old, large bell for the chapel in Los Lentes. He had it placed in a tall bell tower.
The Padre of Isleta
Father Docher was known as "The Padre of Isleta." He spent 34 years living with the Tiwa people. He became good friends with Adolph Bandelier, who studied cultures, and Charles Fletcher Lummis, a writer. He was also close to Pablo Abeita, who became the governor of the pueblo.
Like his friend Bandelier, Father Docher collected Native American items. These included kachina dolls, pottery, baskets, and old weapons. Some of his collection is still kept by his family. The Isleta people respected him because he understood and honored their traditions and beliefs. They called him Tashide, which means "little helper" in the Tewa language. He had a parrot named Tina who was known for using funny, sometimes naughty, words! Father Docher also created a beautiful garden in Isleta.
Many important people visited Father Docher and the Pueblo of Isleta. They were interested in the American Southwest. Visitors included the royal family of Belgium, who gave him a special award called the Order of Leopold. The American author Willa Cather and writer George Wharton James also visited him.
Father Docher raised an Isletan orphan boy named Tomas Chavez. When Tomas grew up and got married, Father Docher gave him and his wife a house and land as a wedding gift. Tomas grew grapes on this land and made wine for the Isleta community and local churches.
Father Docher became an American citizen. He felt very connected to the people he served. In letters to his family in France, he even called himself an "Indian."
In 1912, Father Docher led the funeral service for Solomon Luna. Luna was an important businessman and politician in New Mexico. The service was held in a large church in Albuquerque because Luna was so well-known.
In 1923, Father Anton Docher oversaw a big renovation of the San Agustín de la Isleta Mission church. He added tall French-style spires to the adobe walls. He also built a sloped roof to stop water from leaking and damaging the altar. Later, the church was restored to look more like its original historical design. This historic area is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Last Years
Father Docher was sick for a long time. He spent his last three years in a hospital in Albuquerque. He passed away on December 18, 1928, at the age of 76. The archbishop of Santa Fe led his funeral service at the Isleta church. Father Docher was buried in the church next to an earlier missionary, Father Juan de Padilla.
Stories and Books About Him
- The famous author Willa Cather used Father Docher as inspiration for a character in her novel Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927). She met him when she visited Isleta.
- A historical novel by Samuel Gance, Anton ou la trajectoire d'un père (2013), tells Father Docher's life story. It covers his childhood, his time in the army, and his work in New Mexico.
- The book The Padre of Isleta (1940/reissued 2009) by Julia Keleher and Elsie Ruth Chant is a biography about him.
- He was also included in a list of important pioneers of the American West by Mary Ellen Snodgrass.
- In 2018, French writer Philippe Morvan wrote a novel called Ours inspired by Father Docher's adventurous life.
History and Legends
Father Docher's life is connected to some legends of Isleta. One legend says that an earlier missionary, Padre Juan de Padilla, who was buried in the village church, would leave his grave and walk around the village at night.
One day in 1895, Anton Docher decided to check if this was true. With other people watching, he opened Padre Padilla's grave. During this event, Anton Docher hurt his arm badly. Doctors thought he might need to have his arm removed. But the Tiwa people prayed to Padre Padilla for help. Anton Docher also prayed, and his injury healed in a surprising way.
See also
In Spanish: Anton Docher para niños
