Joseph Le Caron
Encyclopedia
Joseph Le CaronJoseph Le Caron (1586, near Paris
—March 29, 1632, France
) was one of the four pioneer missionaries of Canada (together with Father Denis Jamet
, Father Jean D’Olbeau, and Brother Pacifique du Plessis), and the first missionary to the Hurons.
Le Caron entered the French church and was chaplain and tutor to the Duke of Orléans and his son the dauphin (later Louis XIII of France
). When the Duke of Orléans died, Le Caron joined the Recollects
and made his profession in 1611.
brought four Recollects to New France, including Father Le Caron, as missionaries to the Indians. On April 24, 1615, they sailed from Honfleur
aboard the St. Étienne. Le Caron reached Canada on May 25 and immediately accompanied some fur-traders to Sault St. Louis
. His intention was to meet the Huron traders there and go with them to their own country. After a short time he travelled to Quebec
to provide himself with a portable altar service. On June 24, 1615 he assisted Father Denis Jamet in saying the first mass in Quebec, on the Île de Montréal
.
He returned to the Sault, and went into the land of the Hurons, being the first to visit their settlements and preach the Gospel, preceding even Champlain. His party made the 1,100-km voyage following the Ottawa River
as far as the Mattawa
, the Mattawa as far as Lake Nipissing
, and then the French River
to Georgian Bay
. He thus became the first European to see Lake Huron
, which he reached by the end of July, a few days before Champlain also arrived. On August 12, 1615 he celebrated the first mass in Huron country, in the presence of Champlain. Le Caron stayed with the Hurons about a year (1615-16), and was again among them in 1623. In 1623 he was accompanied by Father Viel
who would contribute significantly to Le Caron's dictionary.
In 1616 he returned to France with Champlain, to look after the spiritual and material interests of the colony. The following spring saw him in Canada again, as provincial commissary. During this time he celebrated the wedding of Louis Hébert
’s eldest daughter Anne to Étienne Jonquet, the first recorded Christian marriage in Canada.
During the winters of 1618 and 1622 he evangelized the Montagnais
of Tadousac
. He also taught them reading and writing. Back with the Hurons in 1623 he would have lost his life, but for the protection of a powerful Huron chief. In 1625 he was once more in France. He returned to Canada a year later, was elected superior of his order at Quebec, and filled this office until the capture of Quebec by the English in 1629, when he and his colleagues were sent back to France by the conquerors. He arrived back in France on October 29, 1629.
The Bibliotheca Universa Franciscana of Jean de S. Antoine, II (Madrid, 1732), 243, says on the evidence of Arturus of Rouen in his Martyrologium Franciscanum under date of 31 August, that Le Caron wrote also a Latin Quærimonia Novæ Franciæ (Complaint of New France).
Le Caron was a saintly man, given to the practice of austerities, but gentle towards others. He died of the plague in the convent of Ste.-Marguerite in France, where he was superior. The Collège Édouard-Montpetit
in Longueuil, Quebec
has a pavilion named in his honor.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
—March 29, 1632, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) was one of the four pioneer missionaries of Canada (together with Father Denis Jamet
Denis Jamet
Denis Jamet was a French Recollect priest and the first superior of the Canadian mission ....
, Father Jean D’Olbeau, and Brother Pacifique du Plessis), and the first missionary to the Hurons.
Le Caron entered the French church and was chaplain and tutor to the Duke of Orléans and his son the dauphin (later Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
). When the Duke of Orléans died, Le Caron joined the Recollects
Recollets
The Récollets were a French branch of the Roman Catholic order, the Franciscans , which developed out of a reform movement that began in the 15th century in Spain and established itself in France in Tulle in 1585, at Nevers in 1592, at Limoges in 1596 and in Paris in 1603...
and made his profession in 1611.
Evangelism in New France
In 1615 Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
brought four Recollects to New France, including Father Le Caron, as missionaries to the Indians. On April 24, 1615, they sailed from Honfleur
Honfleur
Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...
aboard the St. Étienne. Le Caron reached Canada on May 25 and immediately accompanied some fur-traders to Sault St. Louis
Kahnawake 14, Quebec
The Kahnawake Mohawk Territory is a reserve of the traditionally Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk nation on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, across from Montreal. Recorded by French Canadians in 1719 as a Jesuit mission, it has also been known as Seigneury Sault du St...
. His intention was to meet the Huron traders there and go with them to their own country. After a short time he travelled to 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....
to provide himself with a portable altar service. On June 24, 1615 he assisted Father Denis Jamet in saying the first mass in Quebec, on the Île de Montréal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
.
He returned to the Sault, and went into the land of the Hurons, being the first to visit their settlements and preach the Gospel, preceding even Champlain. His party made the 1,100-km voyage following the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
as far as the Mattawa
Mattawa River
The Mattawa River is a river in central Ontario, Canada. It flows east from Trout Lake east of North Bay and enters the Ottawa River at the town of Mattawa. Counting from the head of Trout Lake, it is 76 km in length...
, the Mattawa as far as Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing
Lake Nipissing is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the fifth-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a...
, and then the French River
French River (Ontario)
The French River is a river in Central Ontario, Canada. It flows from Lake Nipissing west to Georgian Bay. The river largely follows the boundary between the Parry Sound District and the Sudbury District, and in most contexts is considered the dividing line between Northern Ontario and Southern...
to Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
. He thus became the first European to see Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, which he reached by the end of July, a few days before Champlain also arrived. On August 12, 1615 he celebrated the first mass in Huron country, in the presence of Champlain. Le Caron stayed with the Hurons about a year (1615-16), and was again among them in 1623. In 1623 he was accompanied by Father Viel
Nicolas Viel
Nicolas Viel was a French Recollet missionary to the Hurons from 1623 to 1625.- Biography :Father Viel traveled to Huron territory arriving there with Father Le Caron. He was studying the language and collecting material to add to Father Le Caron’s dictionary. After almost two years, he decided to...
who would contribute significantly to Le Caron's dictionary.
In 1616 he returned to France with Champlain, to look after the spiritual and material interests of the colony. The following spring saw him in Canada again, as provincial commissary. During this time he celebrated the wedding of Louis Hébert
Louis Hébert
Louis Hébert is widely considered to be the first Canadian apothecary as well as the first European to farm in Canada. He was born around 1575 at 129 de la rue Saint-Honoré in Paris to Nicolas Hébert and Jacqueline Pajot...
’s eldest daughter Anne to Étienne Jonquet, the first recorded Christian marriage in Canada.
During the winters of 1618 and 1622 he evangelized the Montagnais
Innu-aimun
Innu-aimun or Montagnais is an Algonquian language spoken by over 11,000 people, called the Innu, in Labrador and Quebec in Eastern Canada...
of Tadousac
Tadoussac, Quebec
Tadoussac is a village in Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Saguenay rivers. It was France's first trading post on the mainland of New France and an important trading post in the seventeenth century, making it the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in...
. He also taught them reading and writing. Back with the Hurons in 1623 he would have lost his life, but for the protection of a powerful Huron chief. In 1625 he was once more in France. He returned to Canada a year later, was elected superior of his order at Quebec, and filled this office until the capture of Quebec by the English in 1629, when he and his colleagues were sent back to France by the conquerors. He arrived back in France on October 29, 1629.
Writings
Le Caron compiled the first dictionary of the Huron language, and also dictionaries of the Algonkin and Montagnais languages. None are extant today. In June 1624, he sent to France a study of the Indians, their customs, and the difficulties involved in their conversion. Large extracts of the document were preserved by Le Clercq. The introduction refers to a second memoir, the manuscript of which is now lost. He wrote two indictments to the king of the Compagnie des Marchands de Rouen et de Saint-Malo, which the Recollects believed were hindering the evangelization of the Indians.The Bibliotheca Universa Franciscana of Jean de S. Antoine, II (Madrid, 1732), 243, says on the evidence of Arturus of Rouen in his Martyrologium Franciscanum under date of 31 August, that Le Caron wrote also a Latin Quærimonia Novæ Franciæ (Complaint of New France).
Le Caron was a saintly man, given to the practice of austerities, but gentle towards others. He died of the plague in the convent of Ste.-Marguerite in France, where he was superior. The Collège Édouard-Montpetit
Collège Édouard-Montpetit
Collège Édouard-Montpetit is a francophone CEGEP in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. Approximately 6700 students are enrolled in the Longueuil and St-Hubert campuses. The College of General and Vocational Education is affiliated with the ACCC, and CCAA.-History:...
in Longueuil, Quebec
Longueuil, Quebec
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
has a pavilion named in his honor.
External links
- O’Gorman, John J., S.C.D. "Ontario’s Pioneer Priest." Catholic World 102 (March 1916): 751-756.
-
- Contains additional information on the establishment of the mission.
-
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online