Joseph-Octave Plessis
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Octave Plessis was a Canadian
Roman Catholic clergyman from Quebec
. He was the first archbishop
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec
after the diocese
was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.
Plessis cultivated a new generation of priests during the difficult period leading up to the Lower Canada Rebellion
, including Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland
, Narcisse-Charles Fortier, Jean-Baptiste Kelly
, Thomas Maguire, and Pierre-Antoine Tabeau
.
, but refused to continue his education, and his father, who was a blacksmith
, set him to work at the forge
. After a short experience at manual labour, he consented to enter the Petit Seminaire of Quebec in 1780. On finishing his course he taught belles-lettres
and rhetoric
in the College of Montreal, and notwithstanding his youth became secretary to Bishop Briand
. He was ordained
priest on 29 Nov., 1786."
Shortly after his ordination he was made secretary to Bishop Jean-Francois Hubert
, and he exercised so much influence over this prelate that he really filled the functions of auxiliary bishop. In 1792 he was appointed Curé of Notre-Dame at Quebec.
Bishop Pierre Denaut
, Hubert's successor, named Plessis his grand vicar
in 1797, and at the same time announced his intention of appointing him coadjutor bishop
. The popularity of Plessis with French Canadians excited the hostility of the English party, and General Prescott, the governor of the province, opposed the appointment, but he finally yielded to the demands of public opinion.
Plessis was consecrated bishop in the Cathedral of Quebec on 21 January 1801, in the presence of the governor and officials of the province. The death of Bishop Denault
raised him to the episcopal sea of Quebec in 1806. He began his administration under difficult circumstances. Efforts were made to appropriate the property of the Jesuits
and of the Seminary of Montreal to the uses of the state, to organize an exclusively Protestant
system of public instruction, and to give a power of veto on the nomination of priests and the erection of parish
es to the English crown.
An unsuccessful attempt was made to prevent him from taking the oath of allegiance in his capacity as bishop of Quebec. In 1810 Gov. Craig sent a messenger to England to complain of the bishop's conduct, but the authorities adopted a conciliatory policy, Craig was recalled, and Sir George Prevost
was sent to replace him. The new governor had several interviews with the bishop, who refused to make any concessions, and finally all his demands in behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada were conceded. The part that he took during the War of 1812
in exciting the loyalty and warlike spirit of the French Canadians gained him the goodwill of England. He received letters from the government recognizing his title and jurisdiction as Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec, and granting him a pension of a thousand louis a year with a seat in the legislative council.
, and founded religious and educational institutions in Upper Canada
and the provinces along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In 1815 he had paid an extended visit to all the maritime colonies
. His great work was the organization of his church in Canada. In 1818 he was nominated Archbishop of Quebec, and the rest of British America was formed into four suffragan
sees
. In the legislative council he was an ardent defender of the religious and civil rights of his co-religionists, and in 1822.
When the English government tried to force a union between Upper and Lower Canada, his energetic resistance counted for much in the failure of the plan. The reformation and development of Canadian education formed the great end of his life. He successfully resisted efforts to weaken the force of French-Canadian nationality through the medium of a system of popular education. The colleges of Nicolet and St. Hyacinth were founded through his encouragement, and schools and academies were
established in every direction. He spent his time and income in searching out young men and educating them at his own expense. Some of the most eminent men of Canada owed their training to him. The passage of the education law of 1824 was to a great extent his work, and his correspondence with Lord Bathurst
on this subject proved him a man of great diplomatic force.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Roman Catholic clergyman from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. He was the first archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec
The Archdiocese of Québec is the oldest Catholic see in the New World north of Mexico. The archdiocese was founded as the Apostolic Vicariate of New France in 1658 and was elevated to a Diocese in 1674 and an Archdiocese in 1819...
after the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.
Plessis cultivated a new generation of priests during the difficult period leading up to the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
, including Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland
Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland
Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Ferland was a French Canadian historian.-Life:He studied at the college of Nicolet and was ordained 1828. He ministered to country parishes until 1841, when he was made director of studies in the college of Nicolet. He became its superior in 1848...
, Narcisse-Charles Fortier, Jean-Baptiste Kelly
Jean-Baptiste Kelly
Jean-Baptiste Kelly was a Québécois Roman Catholic vicar-general of Irish ancestry who was active in Lower Canada.-Early life and education:...
, Thomas Maguire, and Pierre-Antoine Tabeau
Pierre-Antoine Tabeau
Pierre-Antoine Tabeau was a Roman Catholic priest and vicar general. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Tabeau, a trader and militia man who was involved in the fur trade out of New France. He was a protégé of Joseph-Octave Plessis.- References :*...
.
Biography
Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography stated that Plessis "studied classics in the College de MontrealCollège de Montréal
The Collège de Montréal is a private secondary school for students attending grades 7–11 located in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A former Roman Catholic Seminary, it was founded 1 June 1767 as the Petit Séminaire of Montreal by the Suplician Order...
, but refused to continue his education, and his father, who was a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, set him to work at the forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
. After a short experience at manual labour, he consented to enter the Petit Seminaire of Quebec in 1780. On finishing his course he taught belles-lettres
Belles-lettres
Belles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing. A writer of belles-lettres is a belletrist. However, the boundaries of that category vary in different usages....
and rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
in the College of Montreal, and notwithstanding his youth became secretary to Bishop Briand
Jean-Olivier Briand
Jean-Olivier Briand was the Bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Quebec from 1766 to 1784.He was ordained as a priest in 1739 and left for Canada in 1741 with another priest, Abbé René-Jean Allenou de Lavillangevin and the newly appointed bishop of Quebec, Henri-Marie Dubreil de Pontbriand, in...
. He was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
priest on 29 Nov., 1786."
Shortly after his ordination he was made secretary to Bishop Jean-Francois Hubert
Jean-François Hubert
Jean-François Hubert, , bishop of Quebec, trained at the Sulpician seminary in Montreal. He was taken under the protection of Bishop Dubreil and served for a time as the bishop's secretary....
, and he exercised so much influence over this prelate that he really filled the functions of auxiliary bishop. In 1792 he was appointed Curé of Notre-Dame at Quebec.
Bishop Pierre Denaut
Pierre Denaut
Pierre Denaut was the tenth bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Quebec and the last before it became an Archdiocese. He served as bishop from 1797 to 1806.He was appointed vicar general in 1790 and coadjutor in 1794...
, Hubert's successor, named Plessis his grand vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
in 1797, and at the same time announced his intention of appointing him coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
. The popularity of Plessis with French Canadians excited the hostility of the English party, and General Prescott, the governor of the province, opposed the appointment, but he finally yielded to the demands of public opinion.
Plessis was consecrated bishop in the Cathedral of Quebec on 21 January 1801, in the presence of the governor and officials of the province. The death of Bishop Denault
Pierre Denaut
Pierre Denaut was the tenth bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Quebec and the last before it became an Archdiocese. He served as bishop from 1797 to 1806.He was appointed vicar general in 1790 and coadjutor in 1794...
raised him to the episcopal sea of Quebec in 1806. He began his administration under difficult circumstances. Efforts were made to appropriate the property of the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
and of the Seminary of Montreal to the uses of the state, to organize an exclusively Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
system of public instruction, and to give a power of veto on the nomination of priests and the erection of parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es to the English crown.
An unsuccessful attempt was made to prevent him from taking the oath of allegiance in his capacity as bishop of Quebec. In 1810 Gov. Craig sent a messenger to England to complain of the bishop's conduct, but the authorities adopted a conciliatory policy, Craig was recalled, and Sir George Prevost
George Prevost
Sir George Prévost, 1st Baronet was a British soldier and colonial administrator. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the eldest son of Swiss French Augustine Prévost, he joined the British Army as a youth and became a captain in 1784. Prévost served in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary...
was sent to replace him. The new governor had several interviews with the bishop, who refused to make any concessions, and finally all his demands in behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada were conceded. The part that he took during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
in exciting the loyalty and warlike spirit of the French Canadians gained him the goodwill of England. He received letters from the government recognizing his title and jurisdiction as Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec, and granting him a pension of a thousand louis a year with a seat in the legislative council.
Legacy
Bishop Plessis was the first to introduce Christianity into the vast territory of Red RiverRed River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
, and founded religious and educational institutions in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
and the provinces along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In 1815 he had paid an extended visit to all the maritime colonies
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
. His great work was the organization of his church in Canada. In 1818 he was nominated Archbishop of Quebec, and the rest of British America was formed into four suffragan
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
sees
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
. In the legislative council he was an ardent defender of the religious and civil rights of his co-religionists, and in 1822.
When the English government tried to force a union between Upper and Lower Canada, his energetic resistance counted for much in the failure of the plan. The reformation and development of Canadian education formed the great end of his life. He successfully resisted efforts to weaken the force of French-Canadian nationality through the medium of a system of popular education. The colleges of Nicolet and St. Hyacinth were founded through his encouragement, and schools and academies were
established in every direction. He spent his time and income in searching out young men and educating them at his own expense. Some of the most eminent men of Canada owed their training to him. The passage of the education law of 1824 was to a great extent his work, and his correspondence with Lord Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
on this subject proved him a man of great diplomatic force.