Le Caron, Joseph (missionary in New France)
Dublin Core
Title
Le Caron, Joseph (missionary in New France)
Description
In Carhagouha, Le Caron was the first missionary among the Hurons. He took up residence there, with the goal of learning the language of the Huron people and to “proclaim God’s name” to them. On 12 August 1615, the first Catholic Mass was celebrated in Huron county by Joseph Le Caron, as he was accompanied by Samuel de Champlain and the men who were present with him.
Le Caron subsequently visited seven other indigenous villages, and the inhabitants and the French started a friendship.
In 1617, Joseph Le Caron went to Tadoussac to see the Montagnais people. He expanded his work, and began to teach them how to read and write. Le Caron wanted more assistance with his mission in Tadoussac, but he knew the country did not have the amount of resources needed for the priest’s big plans. Over the next dozen years, Le Caron would go back-and-forth from Quebec to France, hoping to convince higher-ups of his ambitions with the Indigenous people. His efforts would come to an end in 1629 after the English made New France their possession. Le Caron returned to France and died of the plague on 29 March 1632.
Le Caron subsequently visited seven other indigenous villages, and the inhabitants and the French started a friendship.
In 1617, Joseph Le Caron went to Tadoussac to see the Montagnais people. He expanded his work, and began to teach them how to read and write. Le Caron wanted more assistance with his mission in Tadoussac, but he knew the country did not have the amount of resources needed for the priest’s big plans. Over the next dozen years, Le Caron would go back-and-forth from Quebec to France, hoping to convince higher-ups of his ambitions with the Indigenous people. His efforts would come to an end in 1629 after the English made New France their possession. Le Caron returned to France and died of the plague on 29 March 1632.
Date
25 May 1615 - 9 September 1629
Type
Person
Coverage
Organization: The Recollets; Carhagouha, Tiny, Ontario and Tadoussac, Québec, Canada
Source
Frédéric Gingras, “LE CARON, JOSEPH,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 4, 2021, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/le_caron_joseph_1E.html.
Person Item Type Metadata
Birth Date
1586
Birthplace
Somewhere near Paris, France
Death Date
1632
Place of Death
Near Gisors, France
Occupation
Priest; chaplain; tutor; missionary; schoolmaster
Languages Spoken or Written
French; Huron, Algonkin and Montagnais languages
Biographical Text
Joseph Le Caron was a priest belonging to the Recollets, a branch of the Catholic Church. His devotion to the church was unmatched among other members of the Recollets. He joined the Order at 25 years of age, and made it clear that his loyalty was with the gospel. He proved this by embarking on dangerous missions in New France, as well as by showing his discontent with the Compagnie des Marchands de Rouen et de Saint-Malo, a fur trade company. Le Caron believed that agents of that company were “hindering the spread of the gospel”.
He would also be appointed by the missionaries to lobby the King in favor of the Church’s goals. One instance came when Le Caron wrote a 38 page indictment of the Compagnie des Marchands, as the priest believed the company was engaging in activities “paralysing the development of the Church”.
He would also be appointed by the missionaries to lobby the King in favor of the Church’s goals. One instance came when Le Caron wrote a 38 page indictment of the Compagnie des Marchands, as the priest believed the company was engaging in activities “paralysing the development of the Church”.
Associated Course
Conflict and Change in Early Canadian History (Carleton HIST 1301)
Student Cataloguer
Zacharie Landry
Citation
Zacharielandry, “Le Caron, Joseph (missionary in New France) ,” Recipro: The history of international and humanitarian aid, accessed November 22, 2024, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/recipro/items/show/445.