Competing Networks: Roman Catholic Ecclesiastics in French North America, 1610-58

Abstract

This article focuses on the ecclesiastics of French origin and examines the geographical, family, and educational background of the priests who left for North America; the rationale behind their departure; the length of their stay and the careers of those who returned to Europe; and, finally, the influence of information about the New World on their choice. The years between 1610 and 1658 included the Jesuit missions in Canada and Acadia, the Capuchin and Recollet missions in Acadia, the Ursulines and Augustines Hospitalieres in Canada, and the French devots’ initiatives. All active members of the Catholic Church who were involved in the evangelization of French North America were influenced by a general atmosphere of religious awakening and regarded North America as a low priority in the overall aims of the church. Only 179–82 male and 25 female ecclesiastics at all levels (204–7 as a whole) went to North America in this period – just over four a year. This scarcity runs counter to the traditional view of a vast ecclesiastical movement towards North America suggested by those historians who are often blinded by the surviving literary sources. The group allegiances of these ecclesiastics produced rivalries that were much more significant, in practical terms, than their common membership in the Catholic Church. It is too much to say that there was no cooperation among the several Catholic networks in North America but hostility between religious groups was a salient feature of these missionary endeavours. Abstract: Cet article porte sur les membres du clerge ďorigine francaise et se penche sur les antecedents geographiques, familiaux et educatifs des pretres qui partirent pour ľAmerique du Nord; sur la raison profonde de leur depart; sur la duree de leur sejour et la carriere de ceux qui retournerent en Europe; et finalement sur ľinfluence qu’eut sur leur choix ľinformation concernant le Nouveau Monde. Les annees comprises entre 1610 et 1658 ont inclus les missions jesuites au Canada et en Acadie, les missions des capucins et des recollets en Acadie, les ursulines et augustines hospitalieres au Canada et les initiatives des devots francais. Tous les membres actifs de ľEglise catholique qui participerent a ľevangelisation de ľAmerique du Nord francaise etaient influences par un climat general ďeveil religieux et placaient ľAmerique du Nord au bas de ľechelle des priorites parmi ľensemble des objectifs des membres actifs de ľEglise catholique. Seulement de 179 a 182 religieux et 25 religieuses, appartenant a tous les niveaux hierarchiques (de 204 a 207 au total), allerent en Amerique du Nord, soit un peu plus de quatre par an. Ce petit nombre va a ľencontre de ľimage traditionnelle ďun vaste mouvement religieux vers ľAmerique du Nord, comme le suggerent les historiens souvent aveugles par les sources litteraires qui ont subsiste. Les allegeances de groupe de ces religieux creerent des rivalites qui etaient beaucoup plus importantes, en termes pratiques, que leur communaute ďappartenance a ľEglise catholique. Meme si on ne peut aller jusqu’a dire que la collaboration entre les divers reseaux catholiques en Amerique du Nord etait inexistante, il reste que ľhostilite entre les divers groupes du clerge etait un trait saillant de ľentreprise de ces missionnaires.

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