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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"[149] (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[150] (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,[151] 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[152] (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[153]
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[154] 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[155] (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[156] 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[157] 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[158] 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.[159]
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.[160]
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.[161]
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.[162]
Although others had preceded him, yet the honour of discovering
Canada[163] 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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