Jean de Brébeuf and the Jesuits in New-France

Print of Father Jean de Brébeuf, from the waist up.
© National Archives of Canada / C-1190

Jesuit Order was founded in 1534 by Inigo Perez, alias Ignatius of Loyola. He wished to build up an apostolic order based on a military model named the Society of Jesus. Soon, the Jesuits found favour with Pope Paul III who sanctioned the Order in 1540. The Jesuits took the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience as any religious order but also swore absolute obedience to the Pope, to whom they were directly responsible. The Order was founded just before the Catholic counter-reform movement, in reaction to Protestantism, then sweeping throughout Europe. The Jesuits purposes were to educate the Christians, convert the “infidels” and prevent Protestantism. Their training was rigorous.

The Jesuit was the first order to run colleges and universities worldwide. When Ignatius of Loyola died in 1556, his order already owned 74 colleges on three continents and had thousands of members (60 years later, 13.000 members across Europe). In the 1540's, missionaries were sent throughout the world: in India (1541-42), Congo (1547), Brazil and Japan (1549), Ethiopia (1555), China (1563), Philippines and Acadia (1611). In 1625, Jean de Brébeuf came to Quebec to convert the Amerindians of New-France.

Jean de Brébeuf, a priest and missionary, was born on March 25th 1593 in Condé-sur-Vire, Normandy (northern France). Little is known about his childhood and relatives. He took the orders in Rouen, in 1617 at the age of 24 and was ordered priest in 1622, in spite of his poor health (tuberculosis). He stayed in Rouen for three years and embarked for New-France in 1625 with five other missionaries among whom Énemond Massé and Charles Lalemant. They arrived in Quebec City in June of that same year and settled in the actual site of Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site. From 1625, this site saw a new human occupation marked by religious, agricultural and industrial activities.