Student Tasks

Were the Catholic missionaries successful in converting First Nations communities to Catholicism in New France from 1615 to 1710?

Historical Context for Teachers

• The French became interested in North America for two reasons: the search for furs and the desire to convert Aboriginal peoples to Christianity.
• The desire to convert Aboriginal peoples were rooted in the following beliefs.
  • Europeans were civilizing Aboriginal peoples and bringing them a better and more advanced belief system and way of life.
  • North America provided an opportunity to spread the Christian word and save thousands of souls from eternal damnation.
  • Europe was in a constant state of war between Catholics and Protestants. Each faith tried to gain more converts than the other; this competitive spirit transferred to the pursuit of land and souls in North America.
• When New France was established in 1608, Governor Samuel de Champlain thought that religion would help increase trade with Aboriginals who would convert to Christianity, intermarry with French settlers and create large settlements that would support the fur trade.
• As early as 1615, Roman Catholic missionaries moved to New France and began living among First Nations communities. In many cases, missionaries were the first contact between First Nations peoples and Europeans.
• The Roman Catholic Church provided the moral and spiritual guidance in New France, as well as education, charity and health care for those who lived there.
• Three groups of Roman Catholic missionaries came to New France determined to convert First Nations peoples: The Récollets, the Jesuits and the Ursuline Nuns.

The Récollets fathers

• The Récollets were the first missionaries to arrive in New France in 1615 and attempted to convert and “civilize” the Huron and Montagnais near the St. Lawrence River.
• They attempted to relocate the Huron and Montagnais as well as teach them to speak French and learn European farming skills.
• The Récollets achieved little success and were disbanded and expelled from New France by Cardinal Richelieu in the mid-1630s in favour of the Jesuit missionaries.

Jesuit missionaries

• Jesuits, who were the dominant religious order in France, were also called missionaries of the Society of Jesus or Black Robes. They began to arrive in New France as early as 1625 and, between 1632 and 1650, 46 French Jesuits came to New France.
• Jesuit missionaries were much more aggressive than the Récollets in their attempts to convert First Nations peoples. Jesuit priests and their young volunteer assistants were sent to live with First Nations communities, learn their language, eat their food and understand their customs.
• Jesuit missionaries were known for their willingness to endure severe conditions in their attempt to convert First Nations peoples. They built the first Roman Catholic mission at Tadoussac and travelled deep into the interior to live among the Montagnais and Huron.
• The Huron allowed the Jesuits to live among them because they wanted to expand their commercial and military relationship with the French. To convince Aboriginals to be baptized, missionaries offered better trading terms. Once baptized, Aboriginals were told that they had to abandon all of their traditional customs and rituals.
• The best known Jesuit missionary was Father Brébeuf, who lived with the Huron for more than 15 years, learned their language and compiled the first Huron dictionary.
• In 1643, Brébeuf established the largest mission in Huron territory, called Mission de Sainte-Marie. At its busiest point in 1648, it housed 19 priests, 4 lay brothers, 23 engagés (contract labourers), 4 boys, 7 domestic servants and 8 soldiers.
• In 1649, the Mission de Sainte-Marie was attacked by the Iroquois, who were enemies of the Huron. Five Jesuit fathers lost their lives and all were later canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930.
• A smallpox epidemic, introduced to the Huron by the Jesuits, killed more than half the population. By 1760, it is estimated that there were only 100 Huron left in Québec.

The Ursuline nuns

• Ursuline nuns first arrived in New France in 1639, and attempted to convert First Nations peoples to the Roman Catholic faith through the establishment of schools and convents.
• The schools focused on reading, writing, mathematics and homemaking and were intended to train girls as nuns or wives.
• The most famous Ursuline nun in New France was Marie de l’Incarnation.