Originally published at Churchpop
Most people know the basic story of the first Thanksgiving: the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, the Native Americans helped them grow food, and they all gathered together for a feast of Thanksgiving.
But what most tellings of the story leave out is the crucial role played by Squanto, the English-speaking Catholic Native American hero.
Wait, what? Why was there an English-speaking Catholic Native American near Plymouth when the Pilgrims landed?
Here’s the amazing story.
In the early 17th century, Squanto’s tribe came in contact with some of the earliest English colonists in the Americas.
He was captured and he taught English so he could serve as an interpreter. But in 1614, as John Smith (of Pocahontas fame) transported him, one of Smith’s lieutenants, Thomas Hunt, kidnapped him.
Hunt took Squanto to Spain to sell him as a slave. But some Franciscan friars saw what happened and saved Squanto. The Franciscans taught Squanto the Catholic faith and he was baptized.
A free man, Squanto wanted to return home, so he went to London to try to get a place aboard a ship going back to the Massachusetts colony. In the meantime, he worked as a shipbuilder and greatly improved his English.
In 1619, Squanto finally returned home on a ship led by John Smith. Tragically,
