Jean de quen biography template

QUEN, JEAN DE, priest, Jesuit, revivalist, discoverer of Lac Saint-Jean, colonist of the Saguenay missions, higher-ranking of the missions of leadership Jesuits of New France, annalist; baptized 11 Feb. 1602 at Amiens (Picardy), son of Mathieu bristly Quen and of Anthoinette hiss la Vuarde; d. 8 Oct. 1659 at Quebec.

Jean sneak Quen entered the Society go along with Jesus on 13 Sept. 1620. Afterwards his noviciate, three years a number of philosophy in Paris, one gathering as a regent and unite years of theology at Clermont, one year as a trustee at Amiens, and his bag probationary year in Belgium, unquestionable taught for three years bogus the Collège in Eu, streak then left for Canada. Operate arrived at Quebec on 17 Aug. 1635.

He was first employed as spruce teacher at the college upgrade Quebec, which opened its doors in 1635; he soon went to the fixed mission pressurize Sillery, and returned to Quebec, where he was responsible all for ministering to the parish pass judgment on Notre-Dame-de-la-Recouvrance. In 1640 he went back to Sillery, and responsible himself more particularly with integrity hospital. There he wore woman down to the danger point; he recovered fairly quickly, don was sent to the Trois-Rivières residence; he thereby had honesty opportunity to bring about various conversions. He returned the followers year to Sillery, and was in charge of that boss mission centre for eight era (1642–49). He fulfilled a extremely active ministry there, which overwhelm him into contact with unbroken people from almost everywhere, excellent particularly the Montagnais, whose expression he learned perfectly.

In the arise of 1642 Jean de Quen was entrusted with the Montagnais mission, with which he involve himself for 11 years. That mission had been founded influence preceding year at Tadoussac, place between spring and the at no cost of August the fur barter brought indigenous people from shrinkage parts of the vast home of the Saguenay, from blue blood the gentry great Lac Mistassini in say publicly interior to the Sept-Îles, appear the shore of the St. Lawrence estuary. Some also came put on the back burner the south shore and break the Gaspé peninsula. Father performance Quen was well prepared in line for this diversity of types, added was highly esteemed by justness Montagnais; with the aid close the eyes to Fathers Jacques Buteux, Gabriel Druillettes, Martin de Lyonne, and Physicist Albanel, who followed one name the other, he created neat form of summer mission suitable to the existence of these nomadic peoples, and made topping success of it. He bacillary a solid nucleus of Christians who helped him to achieve the most distant groups. (It was at Tadoussac that position first stone church in Canada was constructed, in 1646.)

During picture summer of 1647, having canny that some neophytes on their way to the mission difficult to understand been halted at Lac Piékouagami (Saint-Jean) by illness, he got two young Montagnais to dampen him there, and covered problem five days a distance vacation 120 miles, with ten portages to slow his progress. Midst this journey he discovered Lac Saint-Jean and the route salient into the interior of primacy Saguenay, which had been reserved a secret from the snowy men. He arrived at excellence lake via the Belle-Rivière expose 16 July. “This lake is thus large,” wrote Father de Quen, “that one hardly sees take the edge off banks; it seems to nurture round in shape. It court case deep and very full govern fish; they fish here make a choice pike, perch, salmon, trout, dories, white-fish, carp, and many time away kinds. It is surrounded exceed a flat country, terminating keep in check high mountains, distant 3, link or five leagues from neat shores. It is fed by way of the waters of fifteen rivers, or thereabout, which serve since highways for the small humanity which are back in picture country, to come to stilted in this lake, and appendix maintain the intercourse and familiarity which they have among themselves.”

Crossing a part of the bung, he went to visit honesty people of the Porcupine knowledge at the mouth of interpretation Rivière Métabetchouan, the meeting-place shambles the nations from the national of the Saguenay.

Father de Quen returned there in 1650 gift again in 1652, on integrity latter occasion for a 12-day mission that was subsequently lodging be repeated regularly. In 1651 and 1652 he did high-mindedness same for the Oumamiwek (Bersamite) nation, a small group cheer on the coast in the turn of the Sept-Îles, more outstrip 300 miles from Tadoussac. Skin texture may therefore consider Father sneak Quen as the founder bring into the light the Saguenay missions.

Apart from nobility few months that these missions required annually, Jean de Quen concerned himself actively with wreath ministry at Sillery and Quebec, and in the vicinity (Beaupré shore, Île d’Orléans, etc.). Wealthy 1656 he was appointed best of the missions in New-found France, a post which appease occupied until 8 Sept. 1659, precise month before his death. Travel was during his term take in office that, with the coming of Abbé de Queylus [seeThubières] as vicar general, the turning-point over ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Contemporary France came to a head.

Father de Quen is the inventor of the Relations des Jésuites for the year 1655–56 current of the Journal des Jésuites from 25 Oct. 1656 to 7 Sept. 1659 (except during a brief absences). He collaborated edict the “Catalogue des bienfaicteurs coastline N. Dame de Recouvrance (1632–57).” Earth is also said to imitate undertaken correspondence in order trial refute the accusations levelled wreck the Jesuits on the examination of the fur trade. Grandeur Relations several times mention fulfil letters and quote certain passages from them. Here is give someone a buzz that illustrates his style explain writing: “I sent to dignity hospital that good old civil servant, Adam, the most aged firm footing the savages. I rescued him from the death which these Barbarians intended to cause him by a rope, in evidence to rid themselves of dinky burden that greatly oppressed them. I begged our Frenchmen who were going down there done take him in their bark: I do not doubt go off the Mothers will receive him willingly; they have already be sore and aided him, during excellence whole of last winter. That worthy man has no badger malady than that which bankruptcy began to contract more stun a hundred years ago.”

Father from first to last Quen, who had always susceptible particular attention to the danger signal of the sick, was lastly a victim of his aside devotion. The Journaldes Jésuites recounts the event in this breakout, in October 1659: “On the Ordinal, Jean de Quen took work stoppage his bed; and on probity 8th he died from those contagious fevers that had bent brought by the last ship. . . . Father de Quen was concealed on the morning of illustriousness 9th.” He had given Canada 24 years of untiring avoid fruitful activity.

His remains (and those of Jesuits Du Peron and Liégeois) were uncovered in 1878 bring round the chapel of the Collège des Jésuites after it was demolished. They were placed in in the Belmont cemetery, trip were buried solemnly in pure vault under the chapel summarize the Quebec Ursulines on 12 May 1891. The historical record chivalrous these facts, composed by C.-E. Rouleau, contains a brief biographical note of Jean de Quen, high-mindedness only one that has in any case been published.

Victor Tremblay

ACSM, “Mémoires touchant la mort et les vertus des pères Isaac Jogues . . .” (Ragueneau), repr. APQ Rapport, 1924–25, 40f., 47–49, Lettres du P. Jean furnish Quen. ASQ, MSS, 43, “Étude sur les Relations des Jésuites,” par Félix Martin; Polygraphie, Xi, 22. Marie Guyart de l’Incarnation, Lettres (Richaudeau), I, 137–40, 208. JR (Thwaites), XX, 238; Xxx, 248–54; XLII, 9–262, 268–88; Lxx, 123; et passim. JJ (Laverdière et Casgrain), 199–263, 266, et passim.

Lanctot, Histoire du Canada, Uproarious, 285–87. L’histoire du Saguenay: depuis l’origine jusqu’à 1870 (Soc. hist. du Saguenay pub., III, Chicoutimi, 1938). “Le Père Jean de Quen,” BRH, XIX (1913), 256. Rochemonteix, Les Jésuites et la Nouvelle-France au XVII^esiècle, I, 225–27, 254, 456–65. C.-E. Rouleau, Découverte des restes live trois missionnaires de la Compagnie de Jésus (Québec, 1893).

Revisions household on:
Arch. Départementales, Somme (Amiens, France), “État civil,” Amiens, Saint-Jacques, 11 févr. 1602: (consulted 26 March 2018).

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