In Defense of Mercy

“Do you pray?” “To the God that ripped my heart out?...if I tried to utter so much as one word, all that would come out of my mouth are curses. Blasphemy. A spew of hatred that would impress Satan himself. No. I don’t pray.” JOHN WILSON, 55, a smart, resourceful defense attorney, is a man devoted to his family and faith until his wife, Anne, is senselessly killed in a drunk hit ‘n run by teenagers from the local Ojibwe Reservation. It is the early 1950’s in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The divide between Indian and white man is great. A year later, John still can’t move forward. Not for his children, his grandchildren. Not for his clients and certainly not for his faith. He cannot even begin to forgive the Indians, let alone pray. As he lays the ugly mess out for ABBOT GREGORY, his friend and pastoral confidant, the Abbot has an unusual suggestion. Go to St. John’s Monastery, not for a retreat, but to become a priest! Fast forward 6 years. John Wilson is a priest, FATHER JOHN, who feels he has come to terms with God, until the Abbot assigns him to care for the parish on the Ojibwe Reservation. But what about Anne….how does he live and serve among these Indians?! Despite his protests, Father John finds himself standing in front of totem poles and a silent SAM LITTLE HAWK, his welcoming committee who looks much like the young men who killed his wife. Father John goes through the motions, but can’t find his way until a young Ojibwe logger saves him from being crushed by a felled tree, at the cost of his own life. In the face of this selfless act, Father John turns from his unforgiveness and begins to really see the Indian world around him for the first time. Wrongs and prejudice on both sides, white man and Indian, have relegated the Indians to a poor and hopeless existence, especially the young men. As Father John looks into their plight, he discovers that the local sawmill hires Indians for the most dangerous jobs as cheap, expendable labor, at the direction of the greedy, ruthless sawmill owner. Father John figures out that the Ojibwe can’t get more skilled jobs due to their lack of training. With the reluctant approval of CHIEF ROLLING THUNDER and the help of SHAMAN SKY WATCHER, Father John creates a mechanic school on the reservation. His first students get hired at the local cannery within a few months, much to the sawmill owner’s rage. When a mysterious night time fire threatens the tribal village, destroys the school, church, rectory and tragically kills SISTER BONIFACE, an Ojibwe nun, the whole tribe comes together to honor their own and help the parish rebuild. However, Father John smells a rat - arson by the sawmill owner and his henchmen. His investigative instincts kick in as Father John goes after the culprit with the full arsenal of his trial lawyer skills for the justice due the tribe. His success brings justice and respect to the Ojibwe reservation and grants them the biggest asset of their enemy, the sawmill, creating a great economic opportunity for the whole tribe - especially the young men. This compelling, fast paced script is inspired by a true story that, calling from the past, points the way to how we should live now.