Louis-Adolphe Paquet
Encyclopedia
Louis-Adolphe Paquet was an influential French-Canadian theologian from the late 19th early 20th century, and a major North American proponent and actor in the rebirth of Neo-Scholasticism
. Although nowhere as politically influential as his uncle Benjamin Pâquet
had been, he was well respected and his opinion helped shape the doctrines and policies of the Canadian church
in the early 20th century.
, on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River
opposite Quebec City
. He was their eldest son, though not their eldest child, which was his sister Joséphine. Adolphe Pâquet would later be mayor of the municipality in the 1870s and 1880s. Louis-Adolphe came from an influential family: two of his uncles, Benjamin
and Louis-Honoré Pâquet
, were notable churchmen, and one of his cousins, Étienne-Théodore
, would later be elected to the provincial legislature.
Paquet studied in nearby Saint-Louis-de-Lotbinière
, then at the Séminaire de Québec before continuing his theological studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University
(then the University of the Propaganda
), where he presented his D.D. thesis before Pope Leo XIII
in June 1883. He had been ordained earlier that year, on March 24. Upon his return, he became a teacher of theology
at Université Laval
, an appointment he would keep until his death in 1942, one of the longest careers in the department. He would also along the course of his career, be dean of the Faculty of Theology (1904–1938) and Director of the Quebec Seminary (1902). He was made apostolic protonotary in 1902 and member of the Royal Society of Canada
in 1903.
Encouraged by the pope to promote Neo-Scholasticism
in Canada, he became one of the foremost proponents of the new philosophy, writing extensively on it and founding in 1930 the Académie canadienne Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, a philosophical organization devoted to the study of Saint Thomas Aquinas' writings. A prolific writer, he published in a number of venues from episcopal publications to newspapers, when he was not outright part of the direction board. As official interpreter of Papal pronouncements on questions interesting French Canada, he became very influential, pronouncing opinions on issues such as the Manitoba Schools Question
(his first public intervention) and Ontario's Regulation 17
. His 1902 speech, La Vocation de la race française en Amérique ("The Vocation of the French Race in America"), shaped French-Canadian nationalism around a missionary office for decades. Although the idea was already present in the writings of others, it was this speech that memorably crystallized it as a formal ideology and would be later cited as the text to refer to on the issue. In the same decade, he was an envoy of Louis-Nazaire Bégin to Rome, in 1906, where he would be an important element in the latter's rise to cardinal
ate. In 1909, he was charged with rewriting the schemata (decree proposals) resulting from the first Plenary Council of the Canadian Church.
Paquet's Le Droit public de l'Église codified a lot of the French-Canadian catholic doctrine of the time, to the point that one commenter, Dominican Ceslas-Marie Forest, the dean of Université de Montréal
's faculty of philosophy, described it as "Sacro-saint", "untouchable", "integrist" and "reactionary"; amongst other things, it was the source of the major arguments against mandatory public education (which Paquet characterized as a Freemason plot). In 1907, he was amongst the founders of L'Action Catholique, a catholic newspaper that would reach its highest points under Maurice Duplessis
. In its page, he would notably condemn Bolshevism, characterizing it as little more than anarchism
. Although he voiced strong opinions (but in fact mostly echoed the prevalent conservative views of the French-Canadian clergy and elites of his time), Paquet had—unlike his uncle Benjamin—fairly little direct involvement in the religious politics of the period, a state that might have changed had the plan to counteract the Irish Catholic influence in Rome succeeded. The idea was to install him permanently in Rome with the Jesuits and have him named consultant to a few congregations, where he could acquire episcopal prestige. It is not known why that plan was never acted upon.
Paquet's philosophy was characterised by some of the strictest ultramontane principles of the times (hence Forest's description of his Droit). He was one of the most vocal and noticeable opponent of women's voting rights in the 20s and 30s, and is even credited by some as a major agent of the strong social conservatism
that would remain prevalent until the 50s; his influence nonetheless declined as public interest moved away from the religious to the social aspect of socio-religious issue, and his writing is considered of little interest in modern theological or social discussions beyond historic or historiographic considerations. A large collection of his papers, primarily from his career at Laval, are part of the Quebec Seminary archives. The Pâquet family domain is the major element of a local historic district
, the Saint-Nicolas Heritage Site
, as well as a historic monument.
Neo-Scholasticism
Neo-Scholasticism is the revival and development of medieval scholastic philosophy starting from the second half of the 19th century. It has some times been called neo-Thomism partly because Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century gave to scholasticism a final form, partly because the idea gained ground...
. Although nowhere as politically influential as his uncle Benjamin Pâquet
Benjamin Pâquet
Benjamin Pâquet was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest and educationist. He was an extremely influential and controversial figure in 19th century Quebec religious politics, making numerous enemies amongst the French-Canadian ultramontane elite of the period...
had been, he was well respected and his opinion helped shape the doctrines and policies of the Canadian church
Roman Catholicism in Canada
The Catholic Church in Canada is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the Canadian Bishops Conference. It has the largest number of followers of a religion in Canada with 46% of Canadians baptized as Catholics...
in the early 20th century.
Biography
Joseph-Louis-Adolphe PaquetHis full baptism name was Joseph Louis Adolphe, following the tradition of using "Joseph" as the first given name, which would continue until the mid-20th century. As is usual in such cases, Paquet did not use his first name. Hyphens are usually added even if they were not present on baptism documents. was born on August 4 1859 to a farmer couple, Adolphe Pâquet and Éléonore Demers, on the family domain in Saint-NicolasSaint-Nicolas, Quebec
Saint-Nicolas is a district of the city of Lévis, Quebec, Canada on the St. Lawrence River.-History:The history of Saint-Nicolas goes back to 1694. It is one of the oldest parishes in Canada...
, on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
opposite Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. He was their eldest son, though not their eldest child, which was his sister Joséphine. Adolphe Pâquet would later be mayor of the municipality in the 1870s and 1880s. Louis-Adolphe came from an influential family: two of his uncles, Benjamin
Benjamin Pâquet
Benjamin Pâquet was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest and educationist. He was an extremely influential and controversial figure in 19th century Quebec religious politics, making numerous enemies amongst the French-Canadian ultramontane elite of the period...
and Louis-Honoré Pâquet
Louis-Honoré Pâquet
Louis-Honoré Pâquet was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest and university teacher, as well as celebrated orator of his time.-Biography:...
, were notable churchmen, and one of his cousins, Étienne-Théodore
Étienne-Théodore Pâquet
Étienne-Théodore Pâquet was a French-Canadian civil law notary, and provincial politician and civil servant. In 1879, he was one of four Liberal Members of the Legislative Assembly who crossed the floor in the middle of a parliamentary crisis, causing the Joly de Lotbinière government to...
, would later be elected to the provincial legislature.
Paquet studied in nearby Saint-Louis-de-Lotbinière
Lotbinière, Quebec
Lotbinière is a municipality in the Municipalité régionale de comté de Lotbinière in Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Chaudière-Appalaches region and the population is 909 as of 2009. It is named after seigneurie of which it was part...
, then at the Séminaire de Québec before continuing his theological studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
(then the University of the Propaganda
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for missionary work and related activities...
), where he presented his D.D. thesis before Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in June 1883. He had been ordained earlier that year, on March 24. Upon his return, he became a teacher of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
, an appointment he would keep until his death in 1942, one of the longest careers in the department. He would also along the course of his career, be dean of the Faculty of Theology (1904–1938) and Director of the Quebec Seminary (1902). He was made apostolic protonotary in 1902 and member of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in Canada...
in 1903.
Encouraged by the pope to promote Neo-Scholasticism
Neo-Scholasticism
Neo-Scholasticism is the revival and development of medieval scholastic philosophy starting from the second half of the 19th century. It has some times been called neo-Thomism partly because Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century gave to scholasticism a final form, partly because the idea gained ground...
in Canada, he became one of the foremost proponents of the new philosophy, writing extensively on it and founding in 1930 the Académie canadienne Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, a philosophical organization devoted to the study of Saint Thomas Aquinas' writings. A prolific writer, he published in a number of venues from episcopal publications to newspapers, when he was not outright part of the direction board. As official interpreter of Papal pronouncements on questions interesting French Canada, he became very influential, pronouncing opinions on issues such as the Manitoba Schools Question
Manitoba Schools Question
The Manitoba Schools Question was a political crisis in the Canadian Province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, involving publicly funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants...
(his first public intervention) and Ontario's Regulation 17
Regulation 17
Regulation 17 was a regulation of the Ontario Ministry of Education, issued in July 1912 by the Conservative government of premier Sir James P. Whitney. It restricted the use of French as a language of instruction to the first two years of schooling. It was amended in 1913, and it is that version...
. His 1902 speech, La Vocation de la race française en Amérique ("The Vocation of the French Race in America"), shaped French-Canadian nationalism around a missionary office for decades. Although the idea was already present in the writings of others, it was this speech that memorably crystallized it as a formal ideology and would be later cited as the text to refer to on the issue. In the same decade, he was an envoy of Louis-Nazaire Bégin to Rome, in 1906, where he would be an important element in the latter's rise to cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
ate. In 1909, he was charged with rewriting the schemata (decree proposals) resulting from the first Plenary Council of the Canadian Church.
Paquet's Le Droit public de l'Église codified a lot of the French-Canadian catholic doctrine of the time, to the point that one commenter, Dominican Ceslas-Marie Forest, the dean of Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
's faculty of philosophy, described it as "Sacro-saint", "untouchable", "integrist" and "reactionary"; amongst other things, it was the source of the major arguments against mandatory public education (which Paquet characterized as a Freemason plot). In 1907, he was amongst the founders of L'Action Catholique, a catholic newspaper that would reach its highest points under Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Duplessis
Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis served as the 16th Premier of the Canadian province of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and 1944 to 1959. A founder and leader of the highly conservative Union Nationale party, he rose to power after exposing the misconduct and patronage of Liberal Premier Louis-Alexandre...
. In its page, he would notably condemn Bolshevism, characterizing it as little more than anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
. Although he voiced strong opinions (but in fact mostly echoed the prevalent conservative views of the French-Canadian clergy and elites of his time), Paquet had—unlike his uncle Benjamin—fairly little direct involvement in the religious politics of the period, a state that might have changed had the plan to counteract the Irish Catholic influence in Rome succeeded. The idea was to install him permanently in Rome with the Jesuits and have him named consultant to a few congregations, where he could acquire episcopal prestige. It is not known why that plan was never acted upon.
Paquet's philosophy was characterised by some of the strictest ultramontane principles of the times (hence Forest's description of his Droit). He was one of the most vocal and noticeable opponent of women's voting rights in the 20s and 30s, and is even credited by some as a major agent of the strong social conservatism
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
that would remain prevalent until the 50s; his influence nonetheless declined as public interest moved away from the religious to the social aspect of socio-religious issue, and his writing is considered of little interest in modern theological or social discussions beyond historic or historiographic considerations. A large collection of his papers, primarily from his career at Laval, are part of the Quebec Seminary archives. The Pâquet family domain is the major element of a local historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
, the Saint-Nicolas Heritage Site
Saint-Nicolas Heritage Site
The Saint-Nicolas Heritage Site is a small municipal historic district located in the western part of Lévis, Quebec. It encompasses a group of a half-dozen properties and their dependencies that developed around the estate of a major family. Most of the buildings date from the 19th century, with...
, as well as a historic monument.
Further reading
External links
- La Vocation de la race française en Amérique ("The Vocation of the French Race in America"), one of Paquet's most famous speeches
- Online bibliography
- A portrait of Pâquet, from the seminary's archives.
