Questions for Death Comes for the Archbishop
Quote from Terri Fishel on October 1, 2026, 1:34 pmThank you to all who participated. The questions for the two discussions are included below:
St. John’s Book Group - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Discussion Questions for pages 1- 118, Books 1-5
September 17, 2026
The book begins in Italy in 1848 and there is a lively discussion about the strengths of different missionaries based on their country of origin. What familiarity did/do you have regarding the various groups of missionaries who populated the early territories that eventually comprised the entire United States? As you read the first five books, did you start to identify distinctions between the Mexican priests and Bishop Latour and Father Valliant and think back to the early conversation in Italy?
It took Father Latour a year to reach Santa Fe, but as soon as he arrived he had to travel to Mexico and back, an additional 3,000 miles. (p.15) It is sometimes a challenge to piece together the time frames, but he arrived in Santa Fe in the summer. (p.14) Left “after a few weeks” and then returns 9 days before Christmas. (p.23) And when he returns, Father Vaillant had made great progress with the people. (p.23) As you read this section, did you reflect at all on how much you learn about Father Vaillant versus what you know about Father Latour? Consider their conversation about the Angelus on page 33.
In this same section there is an exchange about silversmiths and the fact that “The Spaniards handed on their skill to the Mexicans, and the Mexicans have taught the Navajos to work silver; but it all came from the Moors.” [p.33] Reflect a bit on this section and what did you learn during this exchange that surprised you?
Book 5 - The Old Order - there is more detail about the tensions that are evident between the various groups - the Spanish priests, the new French Bishop and French priest, plus the indigenous people and their traditions. In an exchange with Padre Martinez, Martinez states that “Rome has no authority here.” “The church the Franciscan fathers planted here was cut off; this is the second growth, and it is indigenous.” [p.100] Martinez continued by warning the Bishop that changing “the old ways” would end in an early death for the Bishop. What did you take away from this exchange between the Bishop and the rogue priest of Taos? Especially as it relates to the next chapter, when you learn that the Bishop is returning after a year away with four French priests plus one Spanish priest that he sends to Taos. What questions came to your mind as you read this section about very diverse groups living together and in theory sharing a common religion? Based on the previous exchange, between language barriers and different customs and traditions among the various groups, how did this affect your perceptions of the Bishop and Father Valliant and the challenges they faced and the obstacles the new priests from Europe would face?
Although the main characters are male, In the first half of the book, women appear in a variety of roles and characters. Magdalena, the Sisters that come for the school, Señora Carson, Father Valliant’s sister, Philomene, as well as the exchange on the miracle of our Lady of Guadalupe. There are a variety of contrasts and contradictions in their stories. For example, on one hand Americans are hated, yet on p.50 - “to Mexican girls, marriage to an American meant coming up in the world.” For Magdalena, Kit Carson is introduced as the person who takes her to protect her and it turns out his wife is also Mexican. And Father Valliant after hearing about the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, wants to make a pilgrimage. [p.36] [Note: it has been written that between 1531and 1538, 8 million natives of Mexico converted to Catholicism.] With these very different female characters, what purpose do you see in Cather’s use of these individuals?
In the first half of the book, there are many travel adventures with long distances, long time periods, and many different individual stories and characters. However, there is one continuous thread that is part of the narrative and is worth looking at. As you read the first half of the book, how much did you focus on Cather’s description of the landscape and the light? Have you had the opportunity to travel to New Mexico or anywhere in the southwest portion of the United States? If yes, did any of her descriptions resonate with your own experiences? What do you think was the purpose in Cather spending so much detail on the landscape and light?
The Rock - in chapter 3, the Bishop visits the sanctuary for the Acoma, built on a rock. In this chapter there are a number of references to light, creation, and specifically the rock. In the following reflection, how does this affect Bishop Latour’s view of the indigenous people?
“The rock when one came to think of it, was the utmost expression of human needl even mere feeling yearned for it; it was the highest comparison of loyalty in love and friendship. Christ himself used that comparison for the disciple to whom He gave the keys of His Church.” [p.67]
There are so many characters and individual stories, that any one of them may have caused you to pause and reflect on a particular section. Are there any other observations you want to share based on reading the first half of this book?
St. John’s Book Group - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Discussion Questions for pages 119 - 210, Books 6-10
October 1, 2026
- In this book, there are many travel adventures with long distances, long time periods, and many different individual stories and characters. However, there is one continuous thread that is part of the narrative and is worth looking at. As you read the book, how much did you focus on Cather’s description of the landscape and the light? Have you had the opportunity to travel to New Mexico or anywhere in the southwest portion of the United States? If yes, did any of her descriptions resonate with your own experiences? What do you think was the purpose in Cather spending so much detail on the landscape and light? [consider p.68 - reflecting on the creation; p.159 - the sky was “full of motion and change…”, p.164 - light on the rock Bishop Latour had selected for his cathedral]
- Relationships are another theme in this book. There is the relationship of Bishop Latour and Father Vaillant - with more information on how they came to know each other [p153-157] and Fr. Vaillant’s reflections on p.174 about the difference in their natures in terms of making new friends; and on p. 179 the Bishop declares that Father Vaillant is the “better man” and a “great harvester of souls” and describes himself as “cold.” As you learned more about each of them, what stood out for you regarding their personalities and their lives as missionaries?
- There were additional relationships throughout the book. Fr. Vaillant and Doña Isabella versus Bishop Latour and Don Antonio. Bishop Latour and Kit Carson, and Bishop Latour’s relationships with Jacinto and Eusabio. And near the end of the Bishop’s life, Bernard came in 1885 and became “like a son” [p.183] What stood out to you as you read this novel and the various relationships Father Vaillant and Bishop Latour had with these various members of their communities?
- In December Night, p. 144-149, Cather includes a story of a Mexican slave, Sada and her encounter with the Bishop. Did this interaction provide you with any new insights into the Bishop’s character? Compare this story with the rescue of Magdalena in Book II. Did you feel the Bishop could or should have done more for Sada?
- This book was first published in 1927. Looking at the novel through a modern lens, how do you see Cather’s treatment of the themes of manifest destiny and colonization? Does she critique or justify the displacement of native cultures? What are some of your clues as to her viewpoints? [potential clues - p.125; p.202-203; p.204; p.208]
- Miracles are another theme in Death Comes for the Archbishop. In the first half of the book we read about Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in the closing chapters we read about Father Junipero Serra and the story of an encounter with a family, considered to be the Holy Family [p.195]. On page 36 when Father Vaillant comments on miracles as “something we can hold in our hands and love.” The Bishop responds:
“ Where there is great love there are always miracles… one might almost say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love. I do not see you as you really are Joseph; I see you through my affection for you. The Miracles of the church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always.”
Did you spend any time reflecting on the Bishop’s words to consider “what is there about us always”?
7. There are so many other topics that could be explored - the Bishop’s focus on building a cathedral. His choice to remain in New Mexico when he could have returned to France after retirement. How the Bishop spent his recreational time with his garden. There were a number of characters and events we didn’t discuss. Does anyone have a question or a perspective you would like to share about this book?
Thank you to all who participated. The questions for the two discussions are included below:
St. John’s Book Group - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Discussion Questions for pages 1- 118, Books 1-5
September 17, 2026
The book begins in Italy in 1848 and there is a lively discussion about the strengths of different missionaries based on their country of origin. What familiarity did/do you have regarding the various groups of missionaries who populated the early territories that eventually comprised the entire United States? As you read the first five books, did you start to identify distinctions between the Mexican priests and Bishop Latour and Father Valliant and think back to the early conversation in Italy?
It took Father Latour a year to reach Santa Fe, but as soon as he arrived he had to travel to Mexico and back, an additional 3,000 miles. (p.15) It is sometimes a challenge to piece together the time frames, but he arrived in Santa Fe in the summer. (p.14) Left “after a few weeks” and then returns 9 days before Christmas. (p.23) And when he returns, Father Vaillant had made great progress with the people. (p.23) As you read this section, did you reflect at all on how much you learn about Father Vaillant versus what you know about Father Latour? Consider their conversation about the Angelus on page 33.
In this same section there is an exchange about silversmiths and the fact that “The Spaniards handed on their skill to the Mexicans, and the Mexicans have taught the Navajos to work silver; but it all came from the Moors.” [p.33] Reflect a bit on this section and what did you learn during this exchange that surprised you?
Book 5 - The Old Order - there is more detail about the tensions that are evident between the various groups - the Spanish priests, the new French Bishop and French priest, plus the indigenous people and their traditions. In an exchange with Padre Martinez, Martinez states that “Rome has no authority here.” “The church the Franciscan fathers planted here was cut off; this is the second growth, and it is indigenous.” [p.100] Martinez continued by warning the Bishop that changing “the old ways” would end in an early death for the Bishop. What did you take away from this exchange between the Bishop and the rogue priest of Taos? Especially as it relates to the next chapter, when you learn that the Bishop is returning after a year away with four French priests plus one Spanish priest that he sends to Taos. What questions came to your mind as you read this section about very diverse groups living together and in theory sharing a common religion? Based on the previous exchange, between language barriers and different customs and traditions among the various groups, how did this affect your perceptions of the Bishop and Father Valliant and the challenges they faced and the obstacles the new priests from Europe would face?
Although the main characters are male, In the first half of the book, women appear in a variety of roles and characters. Magdalena, the Sisters that come for the school, Señora Carson, Father Valliant’s sister, Philomene, as well as the exchange on the miracle of our Lady of Guadalupe. There are a variety of contrasts and contradictions in their stories. For example, on one hand Americans are hated, yet on p.50 - “to Mexican girls, marriage to an American meant coming up in the world.” For Magdalena, Kit Carson is introduced as the person who takes her to protect her and it turns out his wife is also Mexican. And Father Valliant after hearing about the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, wants to make a pilgrimage. [p.36] [Note: it has been written that between 1531and 1538, 8 million natives of Mexico converted to Catholicism.] With these very different female characters, what purpose do you see in Cather’s use of these individuals?
In the first half of the book, there are many travel adventures with long distances, long time periods, and many different individual stories and characters. However, there is one continuous thread that is part of the narrative and is worth looking at. As you read the first half of the book, how much did you focus on Cather’s description of the landscape and the light? Have you had the opportunity to travel to New Mexico or anywhere in the southwest portion of the United States? If yes, did any of her descriptions resonate with your own experiences? What do you think was the purpose in Cather spending so much detail on the landscape and light?
The Rock - in chapter 3, the Bishop visits the sanctuary for the Acoma, built on a rock. In this chapter there are a number of references to light, creation, and specifically the rock. In the following reflection, how does this affect Bishop Latour’s view of the indigenous people?
“The rock when one came to think of it, was the utmost expression of human needl even mere feeling yearned for it; it was the highest comparison of loyalty in love and friendship. Christ himself used that comparison for the disciple to whom He gave the keys of His Church.” [p.67]
There are so many characters and individual stories, that any one of them may have caused you to pause and reflect on a particular section. Are there any other observations you want to share based on reading the first half of this book?
St. John’s Book Group - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Discussion Questions for pages 119 - 210, Books 6-10
October 1, 2026
- In this book, there are many travel adventures with long distances, long time periods, and many different individual stories and characters. However, there is one continuous thread that is part of the narrative and is worth looking at. As you read the book, how much did you focus on Cather’s description of the landscape and the light? Have you had the opportunity to travel to New Mexico or anywhere in the southwest portion of the United States? If yes, did any of her descriptions resonate with your own experiences? What do you think was the purpose in Cather spending so much detail on the landscape and light? [consider p.68 - reflecting on the creation; p.159 - the sky was “full of motion and change…”, p.164 - light on the rock Bishop Latour had selected for his cathedral]
- Relationships are another theme in this book. There is the relationship of Bishop Latour and Father Vaillant - with more information on how they came to know each other [p153-157] and Fr. Vaillant’s reflections on p.174 about the difference in their natures in terms of making new friends; and on p. 179 the Bishop declares that Father Vaillant is the “better man” and a “great harvester of souls” and describes himself as “cold.” As you learned more about each of them, what stood out for you regarding their personalities and their lives as missionaries?
- There were additional relationships throughout the book. Fr. Vaillant and Doña Isabella versus Bishop Latour and Don Antonio. Bishop Latour and Kit Carson, and Bishop Latour’s relationships with Jacinto and Eusabio. And near the end of the Bishop’s life, Bernard came in 1885 and became “like a son” [p.183] What stood out to you as you read this novel and the various relationships Father Vaillant and Bishop Latour had with these various members of their communities?
- In December Night, p. 144-149, Cather includes a story of a Mexican slave, Sada and her encounter with the Bishop. Did this interaction provide you with any new insights into the Bishop’s character? Compare this story with the rescue of Magdalena in Book II. Did you feel the Bishop could or should have done more for Sada?
- This book was first published in 1927. Looking at the novel through a modern lens, how do you see Cather’s treatment of the themes of manifest destiny and colonization? Does she critique or justify the displacement of native cultures? What are some of your clues as to her viewpoints? [potential clues - p.125; p.202-203; p.204; p.208]
- Miracles are another theme in Death Comes for the Archbishop. In the first half of the book we read about Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in the closing chapters we read about Father Junipero Serra and the story of an encounter with a family, considered to be the Holy Family [p.195]. On page 36 when Father Vaillant comments on miracles as “something we can hold in our hands and love.” The Bishop responds:
“ Where there is great love there are always miracles… one might almost say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love. I do not see you as you really are Joseph; I see you through my affection for you. The Miracles of the church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always.”
Did you spend any time reflecting on the Bishop’s words to consider “what is there about us always”?
7. There are so many other topics that could be explored - the Bishop’s focus on building a cathedral. His choice to remain in New Mexico when he could have returned to France after retirement. How the Bishop spent his recreational time with his garden. There were a number of characters and events we didn’t discuss. Does anyone have a question or a perspective you would like to share about this book?
Quote from Dan Vogel on October 2, 2026, 9:16 amOn October 1, Joan Chittister's Monastic Way had this quote.
Thursday, October 1: We do not possess what we yearn for; it possesses us. And therein lies the problem. What fixates us stands to drive out of us the consciousness of other worthwhile things in life. “There is only one big thing—desire,” Willa Cather wrote. “And before it, when it is big, all is little.”
I was sorry that I couldn't be there in person but then I would have missed the Schubert Club's Courtroom Concert featuring Border Crossing an A cappella choir of Latinx and Caucasian voices singing the songs of Latin America. "Border CrosSing envisions a fundamental change in classical music culture, so that evey concert, every audience, and the artists on stage truly reflect the clultural reality in which we live." Katie, soprano from SJE's choir is a member. The concert was in the spirit of "Death Comes for the Archbishop." Blending immigrant voices into a beautiful sound much to be desired!
On October 1, Joan Chittister's Monastic Way had this quote.
Thursday, October 1: We do not possess what we yearn for; it possesses us. And therein lies the problem. What fixates us stands to drive out of us the consciousness of other worthwhile things in life. “There is only one big thing—desire,” Willa Cather wrote. “And before it, when it is big, all is little.”
I was sorry that I couldn't be there in person but then I would have missed the Schubert Club's Courtroom Concert featuring Border Crossing an A cappella choir of Latinx and Caucasian voices singing the songs of Latin America. "Border CrosSing envisions a fundamental change in classical music culture, so that evey concert, every audience, and the artists on stage truly reflect the clultural reality in which we live." Katie, soprano from SJE's choir is a member. The concert was in the spirit of "Death Comes for the Archbishop." Blending immigrant voices into a beautiful sound much to be desired!
