CATHOLIC MISSIONS
Henrion, /Histoire generale des missions catholiques depuis le
XIIIe siecle/, 2 vols., 1841. Marshall, /The Christian Missions/,
2 vols., 2nd edition, 1863. Hahn, /Geschichte der Katholischen
Missionen/, 5 Bde, 1857-65. Da Civezza, /Storia universale delle
missioni francescane/, 9 vols., 1883-96. Meyer, /Die Propaganda/,
2 Bde, 1853. /Lettres edifantes ... des missions ... par quelques
missionaires de la Compagnie de Jesus/, 1617. Werner,
/Missionsatlas/, 1885.
While heresy was spreading with such alarming rapidity that it
threatened to deprive the Church of her fairest provinces in Europe,
new continents were being opened up in the East and the West, and
Christian missionaries were being sent forth to bear an invitation to
strange races and peoples to take the place of the millions who had
strayed from the fold. The restless energy and activity so
characteristic of the fifteenth century manifested itself strikingly
in the numerous naval expeditions, planned and carried out in face of
enormous difficulties, and which led to such important geographical
discoveries. The Portuguese pushed forward their discoveries along the
west coast of Africa till at last Bartholomew Diaz succeeded in
doubling the Cape of Good Hope (1487), thereby opening the way for
Vasco de Gama's voyage to the Malabar coast in 1498. Spain, jealous of
the new south sea route to the East Indies discovered by her rival,
availed herself of the offer of Christopher Columbus to provide a
western route, and it was while engaged in this attempt that he
discovered the great continent of America. The importance of these
discoveries in both East and West both from the spiritual and temporal
point of view was understood clearly enough by both Spain and
Portugal. The rulers of these countries, while anxious for the spread
of Christianity among the pagan races of Asia and America, were not
unmindful also of the important service that might be rendered by
religion to their work of colonisation. Fortunately these new fields
for the Christian missionaries were opened up, at a time when the
religious spirit of Western Europe was beginning to recover from the
state of lethargy to which it had been reduced by abuses, and the cry
went forth for volunteers in an age when the older religious orders
had begun to feel the influence of reform, and when the new religious
orders, particularly the Jesuits, were at hand to render invaluable
assistance. The foundation of the Congregation /De Propaganda Fide/
(1622), the establishment of the /Collegium Urbanum/ (1627) for the
education and training of missionary priests, and the organisation of
the /Societe des Missions Etrangeres/[1] (1663) in Paris helped to
unify the work and to put it upon a solid and permanent basis.
The first place in this remarkable missionary development must be
assigned to St. Francis Xavier[2] (1506-52), the friend and disciple
of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the most successful Christian
missionary since the days of St. Paul. On the invitation of John III.
of Portugal, who had heard something about the contemplated new
Society of Jesus, St. Francis sailed from Lisbon, and landed at Goa,
the capital of the Portuguese Indian colony (1542). Franciscans and
Dominicans had preceded him thither, but the scandalous example of
irreligion and immorality set by the colonists had made it nearly
impossible for these devoted men to win converts amongst the pagan
races. St. Francis threw himself generously into the work of
re-awakening the faith of the Portuguese before attempting the
conversion of the natives. When the condition of affairs in Goa had
undergone a complete change for the better, he set out for West India,
where he preached with wonderful effect, and succeeded in extending
his efforts as far as the Island of Ceylon. He next visited Malacca,
the Molucca Islands and Sumatra. Everywhere he went he won thousands
to the faith. His extraordinary kindness and charity, his untiring
zeal, his simple straightforward exposition of Catholic doctrine, and
the numerous miracles by which God confirmed the truth of his
preaching, were the principal causes of his success. In the meantime
several other members of the Society of Jesus had arrived. These he
despatched to different parts of India to tend the flock whom he had
won for Christ, while at the same time he established a novitiate and
a house of studies to prepare a native clergy for carrying on the
work.
Not content with what had been accomplished in India he set out for
Japan (1549) in company with a Japanese convert, who assisted him to
acquire a knowledge of the language. He landed at Kagoshima, where he
remained nearly a year learning the language and preparing a short
treatise in Japanese on the principal articles of faith. When he had
overcome these preliminary difficulties he began the work of
evangelisation, and notwithstanding the energetic opposition of the
bonzes or native priests he formed a flourishing community. Through
central Japan he made his way preaching with success in the principal
towns, but the political troubles then raging in the capital proved a
serious obstacle to the success of his work. For two years and a half
St. Francis continued his apostolic labours in Japan, and then
returned to Goa, not indeed to rest but only to prepare for a still
more hazardous mission. In Japan he discovered that one of the
principal arguments used against the acceptance of the Christian faith
was the fact that the Chinese, to whom the people of Japan looked with
reverence, still preferred Confucius to Christ. Inspired by the hope
of securing the Celestial Empire for the Church, and of ensuring
thereby the conversion of the entire Eastern races, he had himself
appointed ambassador to China and set off to reach the capital. On the
voyage, however, he became to seriously ill that it was necessary to
land him on the little island of Sancian, where in a rude hut
constructed to shelter him he breathed his last. During the ten years
of his mission he had won close on a million people to the faith, and
he had given Christianity a hold on the people of India and Japan
which no political revolutions or religious persecution could ever
loosen. He was canonised in 1622.
After the death of the Apostle of India the work that he had begun was
carried on by his brethren of the Society of Jesus in face of very
serious difficulties. They were opposed by the Brahmins, who tried to
stir up persecutions, and their progress was impeded by political
disturbances. The arrival of the Jesuit, Robert de' Nobili (1577-
1656), in 1605 marked a new stage in the history of the conversion of
India. After a visit paid to the city of Madura,[3] where one of his
brethren had been labouring for years without any visible fruit, de'
Nobili came to the conclusion that the comparative failure of the
Christian missionaries was due to the contempt of the Brahmins for
them as Portuguese or friends of the Portuguese and as associates of
the pariahs, who were regarded by the Brahmins as being little better
than beasts. He determined to adopt new methods, to come to them not
as a Portuguese but as a Roman, to avoid all contact with the pariahs
or outcasts, to respect the national customs and caste divisions of
the country, and to secure a sympathetic hearing from the Brahmins by
his learning and specially by his intimate knowledge of the Indian
literature.
His method was crowned with instant success. In a short time he had
made hundreds of converts in the very city where his colleague had
laboured in vain for years; and he had secured his converts, not by
minimising or corrupting Catholic truth, but by a prudent regard for
the caste system and for certain rites and customs connected with it,
which he tolerated as partaking of a national rather than of an
essentially religious character. Objections were raised against his
methods by his fellow Jesuit in Madura. He was charged with
countenancing superstition by allowing the use of pagan rites, and
with encouraging schism and dissension by permitting no intermingling
between the Brahmins and the pariahs even in the churches. In justice
to Father de' Nobili and to those who favoured his methods, it ought
to be said that they did not like the system of castes. They hoped
that under the influence of Christian charity such divisions might
disappear, and that just as the Church undermined rather than
condemned slavery in the first centuries, so too the missionaries in
India might respect the prejudices of the Brahmins till these
prejudices should have been extinguished by a closer acquaintance with
the doctrines and spirit of Christianity. The highly coloured reports
sent in against him produced an unfavourable impression on his
superiors, but when his defence was received at Rome Gregory XV.
refused to issue any condemnation (1623).
During the lifetime of Father de' Nobili he pursued his own method
with success, though at the same time he never neglected an
opportunity of providing secretly for the spiritual welfare of the
poorer classes. After his death in 1656 many of the Jesuits continued
his policy, notwithstanding the fact that grave objections were raised
by some of the other religious orders. A crisis came, however, in
Pondicherry which belonged to the French. The Capuchins were in charge
of the mission, and attended both to the colonists and the natives.
The bishop decided to share the work between the Capuchins who were
left in charge of the colonists, and the Jesuits who were entrusted
with preaching to the natives (1699). The Capuchins appealed to Rome,
and brought forward against the Jesuits the old charges that had been
levelled against Father de' Nobili, and that had given rise to such
bitter controversies. The question of the Malabar Rites was carried
once more to Rome, and de Tournon, Patriarch of Antioch, was sent as
legate to investigate the case (1703). After remaining eight months in
the country, and before he had an opportunity of considering both
sides of the question, he decided against the Jesuits (1704). This
decision was confirmed by the Pope in 1706. The controversy continued,
however, till 1744, when Benedict XIV. in the Bull, /Omnium
sollicitudinem/, issued a final condemnation of the Malabar Rites
(1744).
In deference to the prejudices of the Brahmins a scheme was then
formulated with the approval of the Pope for organising two classes of
missionaries, one for the Brahmins and another for the outcasts, but
the suppression of the Jesuits in the Portuguese dominions (1756) put
an end to this system. The Carmelites did good service by their
efforts to reconcile the Nestorian Christians with the Church. The
further progress of the Catholic Church in India was impeded by the
suppression of the Jesuits, the invasion of India by the Dutch, the
insistence of Portugal upon its rights of patronage over all the
churches of India, the downfall of the religious spirit in Europe
during the eighteenth century, and finally by the destruction during
the French Revolution of the colleges and religious houses that
supplied workers for the mission.
St. Francis Xavier had planned to introduce the Christian faith into
the Celestial Empire, but he died almost in sight of the coast. The
first missionary who made any progress in that country was another
Jesuit, Father Matteo Ricci[4] (1552-1610) who arrived in China in
1582. He was a man of great ability, well versed in mathematics and in
the natural sciences, and well qualified to make an excellent
impression on the educated classes. He was protected by the mandarins,
and respected by the Emperor, who invited him to the imperial palace
at Pekin (1600). Although it was his scholarly attainments that
attracted the Chinese rather than his religion, Father Ricci never
failed to seize every opportunity of directing the thoughts of his
pupils and admirers towards Christianity. At his death in 1610 many of
the mandarins had been converted, and most of the old prejudices
against the new religion had disappeared. Other Jesuits equally
learned and equally prudent were ready to take his place. His
successor, Father Schall, was summoned by the Emperor to Pekin, and
was appointed president of the mathematical society. By his influence
at court he obtained permission for his fellow-workers to open
Christian churches in China, and secured the publication of various
Christian books in the Chinese language. The revolution that preceded
the establishment of the Manchu dynasty (1644) led to some
persecution, but the trouble was only of a temporary character. On the
death of Father Schall in 1666, he was succeeded by Father Verbiest
who was also patronised by the court on account of his scholarly
attainments. Finally in 1692 an imperial rescript was issued giving
the Christian missionaries full permission to preach the gospel
throughout the empire. At that period the number of converts was about
twenty thousand. Two bishoprics were erected, one at Pekin and one at
Nankin.
In the beginning, as the Jesuits were practically speaking the only
missionaries in China, it was reserved for them as their special
mission-field by Gregory XIII. (1585). But later on Clement VIII.
allowed the Franciscans to go to China, and finally the country was
opened to all Christian missionaries by Urban VIII. The presence of
the new labourers in the vineyard was not productive of so good
results as might have been expected. A fierce controversy that broke
out regarding the Chinese Rites[5] principally between the Dominicans
and Jesuits, did much to retard the progress of the Catholic Church in
the Celestial Empire for a long period. To understand the meaning of
this controversy it should be remembered that the Chinese people,
deeply attached to the memory of their ancestors and to their
veneration for Confucius, were accustomed to perform certain rites and
ceremonies at fixed periods in memory of their departed relatives and
in honour of Confucius. To prohibit these was to put an end to all
hope of conversion, and to tolerate them looked like tolerating
Paganism. Father Ricci decided to tolerate them, mainly on the ground
that they partook more of a civil than of a religious character, that
in themselves they were harmless, that the Church has been always very
prudent in regard to the national and civil customs of its converts,
and that with the acceptance of Christianity all danger of
misunderstanding would soon disappear. Furthermore, for want of better
names for the Deity Father Ricci allowed the use of Tien-tschu (Lord
of Heaven), Tien and Shangti (supreme emperor), words that had been
used hitherto in an idolatrous sense, but which in themselves and as
explained by the Jesuit missionaries were orthodox enough. Both
parties in the controversy meant well, and each could adduce very
convincing arguments in favour of its own views. The Dominicans
commissioned one of their number to denounce these customs to Rome as
idolatrous. He submitted seventeen articles dealing with the Chinese
Rites to the Inquisition, and after a long discussion a provisional
condemnation was issued by Innocent X. (1645). Father Martini went to
Rome to defend the Chinese Rites, and to point out the serious
consequences which such a sweeping condemnation might have upon the
whole future of Christianity in China. In 1656 a decision more or less
favourable to the Jesuits was given by Alexander VII. The decision
helped to prolong rather than to settle the controversy. A crisis was
reached, however, when Maigrot, vicar-apostolic of Fu-Kien, one of the
priests belonging to the Society for Foreign Missions, denounced the
Chinese Rites as pure paganism, and interdicted their observance to
all converts within his jurisdiction. The case was carried once more
to Rome, and de Tournon was despatched as papal legate to decide the
case. In 1707 he issued a decree prohibiting the Chinese Rites,
incurring thereby the enmity of the Emperor, who had him thrown into
prison where he died (1710). All missionaries who obeyed his orders
were banished. The decision of the legate was supported by several
decrees from Rome, and at last in 1742 Benedict XIV. condemned the
Chinese Rites, and ordered that all missionaries to China should take
an oath against further discussion of the question.
The controversy was carried on with considerable earnestness on both
sides on account of the importance of the issues at stake, and was
embittered considerably by political and religious disputes in Europe
that had no concern either with China or the Chinese Rites. The
condemnation had a disastrous effect on the missions. Nearly all the
missionaries were banished from the country, and the Christians were
obliged to choose between apostasy and death.
In Japan[6] St. Francis Xavier had begun the work of conversion. He
left behind him two of his brethren who were joined soon by other
members of the Society of Jesus, with the result that about the year
1582 there were between one hundred and two hundred thousand Catholics
in the country. An embassy consisting of three of the native princes
visited Rome in 1585. In many districts the local chiefs granted full
liberty to the missionaries, and in a short time the number of
Christians rose to three hundred thousand. Some of the authorities,
alarmed by the rapid growth of foreign power in the country, began to
whisper among the people that the Christian missionaries were only
spies working in the interest of Spain and Portugal. A violent
persecution broke out against the Christians in 1587, and lasted for
several years. Notwithstanding the savagery of the Pagans and the
punishments decreed against the missionaries the Jesuits weathered the
storm, and fresh labourers arrived to support them in the persons of
the Dominicans, the Franciscans, and the Augustinians.
But national jealousy of the foreigners, more especially of the
Spanish and Portuguese, fomented as it was by the Dutch and English,
led to new troubles for the Christian communities. In 1614 a royal
decree was issued against the Christians, and a determined attempt was
made to destroy the work of the missionaries.
Punishments of the most awful kind were inflicted on those who would
not abjure the Christian faith, and many, both priests and people,
were put to death. From 1614 till 1640 the persecution was carried on
in a systematic and determined manner, so that by that time all the
missionaries were either dead or banished, and the whole of the young
communities they had formed were scattered. For years Japan remained
closed against the missionaries who made various attempts to escape
the vigilance of the authorities.
Whatever may be the explanation, whether it was due to the severity of
the climate or to the savage character of the inhabitants, the
Christian missions in Africa were not productive of much fruit. St.
Vincent de Paul sent some of his community to work in the district
around Tunis and in the island of Madagascar. Missionaries from
Portugal made various attempts to found Christian communities along
the whole western coast of Africa. In the Congo the results at first
were decidedly promising. Here the work was begun by the Dominicans,
who were assisted at a later period by the Capuchins, the
Augustinians, and the Jesuits. Many of the inhabitants were won over
to the faith, but as years passed, and as the supply of missionaries
failed, much of what had been accomplished was undone, though the
Capuchins still continued their efforts. In Angola the Jesuits led the
way, in Upper and Lower Guinea the Jesuits and the Carmelites, in
Morocco and in Egypt the Franciscans, while various religious bodies
undertook the work of evangelising the Portuguese colonies in Eastern
Africa.
By far the greatest triumph of the Church during this age of
missionary effort was that which was achieved by the conversion of the
native races in the territories occupied by Spain and Portugal in the
western continent. The hope of extending the boundaries of the Church
was one of the motives that induced Columbus and his supporters to
undertake their voyage of discovery, as it was also one of the motives
urging the rulers of Spain to increase the sphere of their
jurisdiction. Hence from the very beginning great care was taken to
provide for the conversion of all the natives. Priests were despatched
from Spain with all the expeditions. Dominicans, Franciscans,
Carmelites, Augustinians, Fathers of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy,
and after the establishment of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits vied with
each other in their eagerness to risk their lives in the work.
Generous provision was made by the rulers of Spain for the support of
the clergy and the maintenance of religion. Churches were erected,
episcopal and archiepiscopal Sees were founded and endowed, colleges
and monasteries were established by the various religious orders, and
in the course of less than a century the Church had gained in the new
world almost as much as she had lost in the old.
The Spanish rulers were not inclined to destroy or to maltreat the
native races, but they were unable to supervise the greedy officials,
many of whom acted savagely towards the Indians, killing hundreds of
them and forcing the others to work as slaves. The hatred of the
Indian races for the Spaniards made the work of the missionaries more
difficult, but from the beginning the Church espoused the cause of the
Indians, sought to secure protection for them against the officials,
and to restrain if not to extinguish entirely the practice of
enslaving the natives. Bartholomew de Las Casas[7] (1474-1566) at
first a secular priest, then a Dominican, and afterwards a bishop,
took a prominent part in the struggle on behalf of the natives, and
though his methods were not always of the most prudent character he
helped to put down some of the most glaring abuses. Charles V. was
most sympathetic towards the Indians, laid down very strict rules for
his subordinates, and invited the bishops to become protectors of the
Indians, while Paul III. insisted strongly on the freedom of the
natives and their rights as men (1537).
Some of the West Indian Islands which Columbus discovered were thickly
populated. The Franciscans and Dominicans set to work at once to
convert the native people of Hayti, many of whom were destroyed by the
Spaniards despite the efforts of the missionaries. Cuba was taken
possession of by the Spaniards in 1511, and Mexico[8] or New Spain was
conquered by Hernando Cortes in 1519. The people that inhabited this
country were much more intelligent and cultured than the other native
races. They had flourishing towns, beautiful temples and public
buildings, and a fairly well organised form of government. Cortes
invited the Franciscans to undertake the work of conversion. They were
followed by the Dominicans, by the Order of Our Lady of Mercy and by
the Jesuits. Bishop Zumarraga, the first bishop in Mexican territory,
opened schools for the education of the Indians, as did also the
Franciscans and the other religious orders. The Jesuits established
the great college of San Ildefonso, and in 1553 the royal and
pontifical University of Mexico was opened for the reception of
students. By the Bull, /Universalis Ecclesiae regimini/, full rights
of patronage over all the churches of New Spain were conferred on the
rulers of Spain, and religious affairs were placed under the control
of the Council of the Indies.
From the West Indies Christianity made its way into Central America
which was acquired by Spain in 1513. The Dominicans, Capuchins, and
Jesuits preached the faith in Guiana. Venezuela was evangelised at
first by the Franciscans (1508) and by the Dominicans (1520). Later on
Capuchins, Jesuits, and Augustinians took part in the work. By the
year 1600 fully two-thirds of the natives were converted. Peru was
conquered for Spain by Francis Pizarro in 1532. The inhabitants of
this country were highly civilised, with a regular government, and
with a form of religious worship much superior to any of the Pagan
systems with which the Spaniard had come into contact. For a while the
conversion of the country was delayed owing to the cruelties inflicted
on the natives and the conflicts between the Spanish leaders, but in a
short time the Franciscans and Dominicans undertook missions to the
natives with great success. In 1546 Lima was created an archbishopric,
and in a few years a university was opened. St. Rose of Lima (1586-
1617) was the first saint of American birth to be canonised officially
(1671). By the beginning of the seventeenth century the majority of
the natives were converted.
Brazil[9] was discovered by the Portuguese, Alvares de Cabral (1500),
who named it Vera Cruz because his ship came to anchor there on Good
Friday. The Franciscans were early in the field to tend to the
spiritual wants of the natives, who stood in need of some defenders to
protect them from the greed of the Portuguese officials. At the
request of King John III. St. Ignatius despatched some of his
followers to Brazil (1549). A great college was opened by the Jesuits
for the education of young men. The wars with the French, the invasion
of Brazil by the Dutch, and the opposition of officials who were
annoyed at the protection afforded the natives by the missionaries,
rendered the work of conversion exceedingly difficult. But
"reductions" or settlements of Indians were formed by the Jesuits,
Capuchins, Carmelites, and others, and episcopal Sees were established
throughout the country. The expulsion of the Jesuits in 1759 was a
severe blow to the missions in Brazil.
Paraguay[10] was taken possession of by Spain in 1536. The Franciscan
Fathers who accompanied the expedition addressed themselves at once to
the conversion of the natives; but the difficulty of making themselves
understood, the cruelty of the first conquerors towards the natives,
and the bad example of the early colonists, made their work much more
difficult than it might have been.
The Dominicans, the Augustinians and the Order of Mercy came to the
assistance of the first missionaries, and three episcopal sees were
established. One of the bishops, a Dominican, invited the Jesuits to
come to Paraguay (1586). They established colleges in several of the
leading centres, and sent out their members in all directions to
preach to the Indians, over whom they acquired in a short time a very
salutary influence. But the harshness of the Spanish officials, and
the bad example they gave to the native converts, made it necessary
for the Jesuits to form "Reductions" or special settlements, where the
Indians might live apart from the Spaniards, and where they might be
free from oppression and the corrupting influence of their Spanish
masters. Philip III. of Spain approved this plan, and ordained that
the Reductions should be subject directly to the Crown. In these
settlements the Jesuits trained the natives in agriculture and in
trades, but the peace of the communities was disturbed frequently by
the slave-hunters against whom the Spanish officials refused to take
action. As a last resource the Jesuits organised an Indian force, and
provided them with arms for self-protection. Close on a million
converted natives were attached to the thirty-one Reductions that
formed a kingdom of independent principality subject only to Spain.
This happy condition of affairs was not destined to last forever. By a
treaty made in 1750 Spain, in return for some territory ceded by
Portugal, handed over to Portugal seven of the Reductions. The Jesuits
pleaded for delay in carrying out the eviction of the Indians who were
settled in this territory, and when their appeal was refused they
advised the Indians to submit. Some of them followed this advice while
others of them flew to arms only to be defeated (1756). The blame for
the rebellion was attributed to the Jesuits by Pombal and the other
enemies of the Society in Portugal. By a royal decree issued in 1767
the Jesuits were expelled from Paraguay, and in a few years the
flourishing communities which they had established were completely
dissolved.[11]
Christianity reached the territory now known as the United States from
three distinct sources, namely, the Spanish colonies in the south, the
French settlements in the north, and from the English Catholic colony
of Maryland in the east. The sphere of influence of the Spanish
missionaries was Florida, California, New Mexico, and Texas. In 1526
an expedition under the command of de Narvaez and accompanied by
several Franciscan Fathers was sent to explore Florida, but the
expedition ended in complete failure. Several other attempts of a
similar kind were made with no better results till at last, aroused by
the danger of a French occupation, Menendez established a permanent
settlement at Fort St. Augustine and prepared the way for Spanish
occupation (1565). Menendez, zealous for the conversion of the
natives, invited the Jesuits to come to Florida, as did also the
Franciscans. At first the work of conversion was attended with great
difficulties and proceeded very slowly, but by the year 1700 many
Christian villages had been established. The attacks of the English on
Florida injured the missions, and the cession of Florida to England
(1763) completed the work of destruction.[12]
Lower California was discovered by Cortez in 1533, and Upper
California by Cabrillo eleven years later. In the beginning the
missionaries encountered great opposition, but after 1697 the Jesuit
Fathers were very successful. They formed the natives into permanent
settlements or reductions, and so rapidly did the work of
evangelisation proceed that in 1767, the year in which the Jesuits
were expelled by Spain, nearly all the Indians were converted. The
Franciscan Fathers succeeded the Jesuits, continuing their reductions
in Lower California, and introducing missions of a similar kind among
the Indians of Upper California. The Dominicans, also, rendered
valuable assistance. In 1822 California was ceded to the United
States, and the missions were broken up owing to the hostility of the
civil authorities.[13]
The Franciscans were the first to undertake missions in New Mexico
(1539). Several of the missionaries suffered martyrdom in their
attempts to convert the natives, but it was only after 1597 that any
considerable progress was made. In Texas the earliest real effort at
introducing Christianity among the natives was made in the last
quarter of the seventeenth century. The work of the Franciscans was
disturbed by rebellions among the Indians and by war, but
notwithstanding these obstacles several flourishing Indian settlements
were established. In 1813 the Spanish Cortes issued a decree that the
missions in Texas should be secularised.[14]
Although others had preceded him, yet the honour of discovering
Canada[15] is assigned generally to Jacques Cartier who made three
voyages to the country (1534-42). Early in the seventeenth century the
two Jesuits Biard and Masse arrived and began the conversion of the
Indian tribes settled in Acadia, which embraced Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain, "the Father of New France"
arrived and laid the foundation of Quebec. He invited the Franciscan
Recollects to preach to the Indian tribes, namely, the Algonquins and
the Hurons (1615). The Franciscans went to work with a will, preaching
to the people and opening schools for the young, but finding their
numbers too few for the mighty task, they invited the Jesuits to come
to their assistance (1625). Several Jesuits including Fathers Brebeuf
and Lallemant hastened to Canada and undertook missions to the Hurons.
The invasion and capture of Quebec in 1629 by the English interrupted
the work for a time, but on the restoration of the territory to France
in 1632 the Jesuits continued their labours with renewed vigour. The
fierce tribe of the Iroquois were the strongest opponents of the
Christian missionaries, many of whom they put to death. Father Jogues
was put to death in 1646, and a little later Fathers Daniel, Brebeuf,
and Lallement together with several of their companions met a similar
fate.
But notwithstanding these reverses the work of Christianising the
native races of Canada proceeded apace. In 1642 the city of Montreal
was founded, and in 1657 the superior of the Sulpicians despatched
several of his community to labour in the new colony. Two years later
Francois de Montmorency-Laval arrived as first bishop and vicar-
apostolic of New France. West and east the missionaries continued to
win new conquests for the Church. The English, however, gave great
trouble to the missionaries by stirring up the Indian tribes to make
war on the Christian settlements. Nor was the French colony,
practically deserted as it had been by the mother country, able to
hold its own against the English colonists. In 1713 France ceded to
England Acadia, Newfoundland, and the Hudson Bay territory. In Acadia
the Catholic missions had been very successful, but in 1755 the
unfortunate Catholics, who refused to take the oath that was tendered
to them, were seized and deported. In 1759 Quebec was taken, and by
the Treaty of Paris (1763) Canada passed under the dominion of the
English.
Many French missionaries from Canada worked in the district stretching
from the St. Lawrence to Lake Superior, and missions were established
by the Jesuits in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. In
1673 Father Marquette (1636-75) undertook a journey southward to visit
the great river about which he had heard from the Indians, and to open
up new fields of work for himself and his associates. He succeeded in
reaching the Mississippi, and sailed down the river as far as the
mouth of Arkansas. As a result of the information acquired from those
who returned from this voyage of exploration, expeditions were sent
out by the French to take possession of the new territories and to
erect fortifications against the further advance westward of the
English colonists. The city of New Orleans was founded in 1717.
Missionaries--Capuchins, Jesuits, and priests of the Society for
Foreign Missions--preached the gospel with great success to the
natives in Louisiana, Mississippi, Iowa, Arkansas, and Ohio.
The Jesuits, under the leadership of Father White, who settled in the
colony founded in Maryland (1534), devoted themselves to the
conversion of the Indians, but the expulsion of Lord Baltimore in 1644
and the victory of the Puritans led to the almost complete destruction
of these Indian missions.
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[1] Launay, /Histoire generale de la Societe des Missions-Etrangeres/,
1894.
[2] Coleridge, /Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier/, 1902.
[3] Bertrand, /La Mission du Madure/, 1847.
[4] Brucker, /Le Pere Mattieu Ricci/ (/Etudes/, 1910).
[5] Daniel, /Histoire apologetique de la conduite des Jesuites de la
Chine/, 1724. Pray, /Historia Controvers. de ritibus Sinicis/,
1724.
[6] Pages, /Histoire de la religion chretienne au Japan, 1598-1651/,
1869.
[7] Dutto, /The Life of Bartolome de las Casas and the First Leaves of
American Ecclesiastical History/, 1902.
[8] De Berbourg, /Histoire des nations civilisees du Mexique et de
l'Amerique centrale/, 1851.
[9] Beauchamp, /Histoire du Bresil/, 3 vols., 1815.
[10] Demersay, /Histoire ... du Paraquay et des Etablissements des
Jesuites/, 1860-4.
[11] De Moussy, /Memoire historique sur la decadence et la ruine des
Missions de Jesuites/ 1865. Weld, /The Suppression of the Society
of Jesus in the Portuguese Dominions/, 1877.
[12] Shea, /Catholic Missions among the Indian Tribes/, 1857. Hughes,
/The History of the Society of Jesus in North America/, vol. i.
(Text), 1907.
[13] Engelhardt, /The Missions and Missionaries of California/, 1908.
[14] Shea, op. cit., pp. 76-88.
[15] /The Jesuit Relations/, 1896-1901. Leclerc, /Etablissement de la
foi dans la nouvelle France/, 1680. Campbell, /Pioneer Priests of
North America/, 1908.