While it is possible that Whitehouse stayed behind and others relayed their experience upon return, there is evidence to suggest that he also attended. As he was dying around 1860, Whitehouse gave his journal to his Catholic confessor (Gatten and Fifer Joseph Whitehouse | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®). If Whitehouse took the sacraments of the Catholic Church seriously to the point where he confessed his sins prior to his passing, he likely would have also attended the Mass where he could witness the discomfort of his comrades during the Catholic mass (Whitehouse May 20, 1804 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition). It would not have been a ‘novelty’ to a Catholic; but it would have been a novelty to “them,” as he wrote in his journal.  Due to the documented changes in the Catholic Church, it is possible to make some assumptions pertaining to the service that was held on May 20, 1804. Prior to the second Vatican Council in 1969 which implemented the Novus Ordo (new order of the Mass), Catholic services were conducted in Latin. A Catholic service prior to Novus Ordo conducted in Latin may certainly have looked unique to American members of the expedition. Additionally, whereas Protestant services and Catholic Novus Ordo services would have the pastor facing the congregation, in a traditional Latin mass the priest faces toward the altar, with his back to the laity (Evangelista). Thus, the entire church faces God in their worship.

Lastly, since Catholic services operate on a calendar, it is thus possible to determine what the readings were for that day. In 1804, Easter fell on April 1. The seventh Sunday after Easter was May 20, which also happened to be Pentecost. Using the schedule of readings for the old Tridentine calendar, the reading would have been from Acts 2:1-11 and the Gospel reading would have been from John 14:23-31. These would likely have been the scriptures that the members of the expedition heard.   

As far as Lewis and Clark were concerned, they were both Deists (Slaughter, 20; Mussulman). While Deists accept the concept of providence, generally they do not ascribe to a particular religion or offer any strict allegiance toward one. Even though Clark had his three eldest children baptized Catholic, he also helped to establish the first Episcopal parish in St. Louis (Mussulman). Though it is unknown to what faith the other expedition members ascribed, due to the Great Awakening that had swept the English-speaking world in the 1730s and 1740s, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists had become the largest Protestant denominations by the start of the 19th century (Library of Congress). Depending on where the members of the expedition hailed from, researchers can make some assumptions. For example, Pennsylvania had a large German population, many of whom were Lutheran. New England was chiefly Congregational and Unitarian. Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians were growing especially in regions west of the Appalachians. Many folks were happy to support Protestant churches as signs of civilization and community uplift, but this says little about their religious beliefs, if any. The Great Awakening had diversified religion in America in the 18th century, but the early republic was one of the lowest periods in American history for church membership and religious practice (Erickson, Nov. 17). However, there is reason to suggest that the French engagés were at least nominal Catholics. The baptism, marriage, and burial registers at St. Charles Borromeo make note of Jean Baptiste Deschamps, Charles Pineau, Charles Hebert, Paul Primeau, Jean Baptiste Lajeunesse, Etienne Malboeuf, and Pierre Roy. In fact, Father Lusson baptized Charles Pineau at St. Charles Borromeo the week before the expedition left St. Charles (Brown). Deschamps, La Jeunesse, Malboeuf, and Pineau, were among those tasked with returning to St. Louis with Corporal Warfington (Buckley, 51), and Deschamps was listed as the “patroon” [sic] of the engagés (Moore, 3). 

The history of St. Charles Borromeo was indicative of the events surrounding the Louisiana Purchase. While the French had control of the area, a government stipend was paid to priests who ministered in their respective churches. However, once the U.S. had acquired the territory, the stipends ceased, despite U.S. Army Captain Amos Stoddard’s objections. Eventually, Father Lusson left the parish in October 1804, but not before educating the remaining faithful of St. Charles. There was evidence to suggest that Lusson prepared the parish to operate without him, for there were baptisms and burials shortly after Fr. Lusson’s departure performed by laymen Noel Prieur and Pierre Troge (Brown, 29, 30). Pierre Troge would have likely been at the service on May 20, 1804 also. Having moved to St. Charles from Cahokia in 1791, Troge served St. Charles as the parish sacristan, who was in charge of the vestments, sacred objects, and the room in which they were stored. Noted for his poor penmanship and spelling, Troge died in 1812 and was buried under the floor of the original log church (Brown, 26).  

The Council of Trent had formally codified the right for Catholic priests to grant the laity the ability to conduct baptisms and burials in the 16th century.  Both Catholics and Orthodox have always allowed laypersons to baptize and to bury in case of emergency or other exceptional circumstances. By the time of the expedition, the Concordat between Napoleon I and the Pope had smoothed out difficulties between revolutionary France and Rome, and other provisions of Trent would be in force throughout French possessions (Erickson, Nov.11). Even though St. Charles was no longer a French possession, the allowance for the laity to perform baptisms and burials continued in lieu of an assigned priest.  

References

• Brown, Jo Ann. St. Charles Borromeo 200 Years of Faith. The Patrice Press, 1991.
• Brown, Jo Ann. “The St. Charles Boatmen | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®.” The St. Charles Boatmen | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®, Www.lewis-clark.org, 2021, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/309#footnote3_aba0fao.
• Buckley, Jay H. William Clark: Indian Diplomat. University of Oklahoma Press, 2008.
• Clark, William. “May 20, 1804 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.” May 20, 1804 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu, 30 August. 1803, https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1804-05-20#n04052007.
• Erickson, John. Email to Andrew Fournier. November 11, 2021.
• Erickson, John. Email to Andrew Fournier. November 17, 2021.
• Evangelista, Mark Aurel. “Philippine Sacred Architecture-design Of a Village Chapel.” Vienna University of Technology, 2021.
• Gatten, Robert E., and Barbara Fifer. “Joseph Whitehouse | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®.” Joseph Whitehouse | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®, Www.lewis-clark.org, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/2583.
• Moore, Robert. “The French Connection of Lewis and Clark.” Le Journal, vol. 25, no. 1, 2009, pp. 1–7.
• Mussulman, Joseph. “Deists in the ‘Wilderness’ | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®.” Deists In the ‘Wilderness’ | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®, Www.lewis-clark.org, 2013, http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/2451#Note4.
• “Religion in Eighteenth-Century America – Religion and the Founding of the American Republic Exhibitions (Library of Congress).” Loc.gov, 2018, www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel02.html.
• Slaughter, Thomas P. Exploring Lewis and Clark: Reflections on men and wilderness. Vintage, 2007.
• Whitehouse, Joseph. “May 20, 1804 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.” May 20, 1804 | Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu, 30 August. 1803, https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1804-05-20#n04052007.
• TAGS: French Language and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewis and Clark, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Lewis and Clark Trail, religion, Joseph Whitehouse, Catholicism

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We directed the horses to be brought near Camp and secured in Such a
manner that they may be readily obtained in the morning being deturmined
to make an early Start if possible-.Colter one of our hunters did
not return this evening

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The Cutnose informed us on the 10th before we left him that two young
Chiefs would overtake us with a view to accompany us to the Falls of the
Missouri and probably to the Seat of our Governmt. nothing interesting
occured in the course of this day. our camp is agreeably Situated in a
point of timbered land on the eastern borders of an extensive leave) and
butifull prarie which is intersected by Several Small branches near the
bank of one of which our Camp is placed. the quawmash is now in blume at a
Short distance it resembles a lake of fine clear water, So complete is
this deseption that on first Sight I could have Sworn it was water.

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As I have had frequent occasion to mention the plant which the Chopunnish
and other nations of the Columbia call Quawmash I Shall here give a more
particular discription of that plant and the mode of prepareing it for
food as practiced by the Chopinnish and others in the vicinity of the
Rocky Mountains with whome it forms much the greatest portion of their
Subsistence. we have never met with this plant but in or adjacent to a
piney or fir timbered Country, and there always in the open grounds and
glades; in the Columbian Vally and near the Coast it is to be found in
small quantities and inferior in Size to that found in this neighbourhood
or on those high rich flatts and vallies within the rocky moun-tains. it
delights in a black rich moist Soil, and even grows most luxuriently where
the lands remain from 6 to 9 inches under water untill the seed are nearly
perfect, which in this neighbourhood or on those flatts is about the last
of this month. near the river where I had an oppertunity of observing it,
the Seed were beginning to ripen on the 9th inst. and the Soil was nearly
dry. it seems devoted to it’s particular Soil and Situation, and you will
Seldom find more than a fiew feet from an inundated Soil tho within it’s
limits it grows very closely. in short almost as much so as the bulbs will
permit. the radix is a tumicated bulb, much the consistence Shape and
appearance of the Onion, glutinous or somewhat Slymey when chewed and
almost tasteless and without smell in it’s unprepared state; it is white
except the thin or outer tumicated scales which are flew black and not
Suculent; this bulb is from the Size of a nutmeg to that of a hen egg and
most commonly of an intermediate size or about as large as a common onion
of one years growth from the Seed. the radicles are noumerous, reather
large, white, flexeable, Succulent and deviding the foliage consists of
from one to four seldom five radicals, liner Sessile and revolute pointed
leaves; they are from 12 to 18 inches in length and from 1 to 3/4 of an
inch in widest part which is nearest the middle; the upper disk is
Somewhat groved of a pale green and marked it’s whole length with a number
of Small longitudinal channels; the under disk is of a deep glossy green
and Smooth. the leaves sheath the peduncle and each other as high as the
Surface of the earth or about 2 inches; they are more succulent than the
grasses and less so than most of the lillies hyisinths &c.the
peduncle is soletary, proceeds from the root, is columner, smooth and
leafless and rises to the hight of 2 or 21/2 feet. it supports from 10 to
40 flowers which are each surported by a Seperate footstalk of 1/2 an inch
in length scattered without order on the upper portion of the peduncle.
the calix is a partial involucre or involucret Situated at the base of the
footstalk of each flower on the peduncle; it is long thin and begins to
decline as soon as the corrolla expands. the corolla consists of five long
oval obtusely pointed Skye blue or water coloured petals, each about 1
inch in length; the Corolla is regular as to the form and size of the
petals but irregular as to their position, five of them are placed near
each other pointing upwards while one stands horozontially, or pointing
downwards, they are inserted with a Short Claw on the extremity of the
footstalk at the base of the germ; the corolla is of course inferior; it
is also shriveling, and continues untill the Seed are perfect. The Stamens
are perfect, Six in number; the falaments each elivate an anther, near
their base are flat on the inner side and rounded on the outer, termonate
in a subulate point, and bowed or bent upwards inserted on the inner Side
and on the base of the Claws of the petals, below the germ, are equal both
with respect to themselves and the Corolla, Smooth membranous. the Anther
is oblong obtusely pointed, 2 horned or forked at one end and furrowed
longitudinally with four channels, the upper and lower of which Seem
almost to divide it into two loabs, incumbent, patent, membranous, very
short, necked, two valved and fertile with pollen, which last is of a
yellow colour. the Anther in a fiew hours after the Corolla unfoalds,
bursts discharges it’s pollen and becomes very manute and chrivled; the
above discription of the Anther is therefore to be understood of it, at
the moment of it’s first appearance. the pistillum is only one, of which
the Germ is triangular reather Swolen on the Sides, Smooth, Superior,
Sessile, pedicelled, Short in proportion to the Corolla tho wide or bulky;
the Style is very long or longer than the stamens, simple, cilindrical,
bowed or bent upwards, placed on the top of the germ, membranous shrivels
and falls off when the pericarp has obtained it’s full Size.

the Stigma is three clefts very manute and pubescent. the pericarp is a
capsule, triangular, oblong, obtuse, and trilocular with three
longitudinal valves. the Seed So far as I could judge are noumerous not
very manute and globilar.Soon after the seed are mature the
peduncle and foliage of this plant perishes, the ground becoms dry or
nearly so and the root increases in size and shortly become fit for use;
this happens about the middle of July when the nativs begin to collect it
for use which they continue untill the leaves of the plant obtain Some
Size in the Spring of the year. when they have Collected a considerable
quantity of these roots or 20 or 30 bushels which they readily do by means
of Sticks Sharpened at one end, they dig away the surface of the earth
forming a cercular concavity of 21/2 feet in the center and 10 feet in
diameter; they next collect a parcel of dry split wood with which they
cover this bason from the bottom perhaps a foot thick, they next collect a
parcel of Stones from 4 to 6 lb. weight which are placed on the dry wood;
fire is then Set to the wood which burning heats the Stones; when the fire
has subsided and the Stones are sufficiently heated which are nearly a red
heat, they are adjusted in such manner in the hole as to form as leavel a
Surface as possible, a small quantity of earth is Sprinkled over the
Stones, and a layer of grass about an inch thick is laid over the Stone;
the roots which have been previously devested of the black or outer coat
and radicles which rub off easily with the fingers, are now laid on in a
circular pile, are then covered with a layer of grass about 2 or 3 inches
thick; water is then thrown on the Summit of the pile and passes through
the roots and to the hot Stones at bottom; Some water is also pored around
the edges of the hole, and also find it’s way to the hot Stones. they
cover the roots and grass over with earth to the debth of four inches and
then build a fire of dry wood all over the Connical mound which they
Continue to renew through the course of the night or for 10 or 12 hours,
after which it is Suffered to cool, 2 or three hours, when the earth and
grass are removed. and the roots thus Sweated are cooled with Steam or
taken out, and most commonly exposed to the Sun on Scaffolds untill they
become dry. when they are black and of a Sweet agreeable flavor. these
roots are fit for use when first taken from the pitt, are Soft of a
Sweetish taste and much the consistancy of a roasted onion; but if they
are Suffered to remain in bulk 24 hours after being cooked they Spoil. if
the design is to make bread or cakes of those roots they undergo a Second
preperation of baking being previously pounded after the first baking
between two Stones untill they are reduced to the consistancy of dough and
then rolled in grass in cakes of 8 or 10 pounds, are returned to the Sweat
intermixes with fresh roots in order that the steam may get freely to
those loaves of bread. when taken out the Second time the Indn. woman make
up this dough into cakes of various Shapes and Sizes, usually from 1/2 to
3/4 of an inch thick and expose it on sticks to dry in the Sun, or place
it over the smoke of their fires.The bread thus prepared if kept
free from moisture will Sound for a great length of time. this bread or
the dryed roots are frequently eaten alone by the nativs without further
preperation, and when they have them in abundance they form an ingrediant
in almost every dish they prepare. this root is palateable but disagrees
with us in every shape we have ever used it. the nativs are extreemly fond
of this root and present it their visiters as a great treat. when we first
arrived at the Chopunnish last fall at this place our men who were half
Starved made So free a use of this root that it made them all Sick for
Several days after.

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