In the meantime, after having been recognized as "grand vicaire" M.
de Queylus with the Sulpicians proceeded to Ville Marie. On August
12th Père Claude Pijart, the missionary, gave over the exercise of
his ministry to M. Gabriel Souart who now became the _curé_ or parish
priest. Father Pijart remained in Montreal for some time, but, on
September 3rd, he was in Quebec, where he was appointed to take the
place of Père Poncet, in the charge of the parish church. Père
Poncet, though a zealous and enterprising man, had shown himself a
difficult subject, and his obedience and his spirit of independence had
been already called in question in a letter to Rome. As this may be
accounted the beginning of the ecclesiastical trouble between Montreal
and Quebec we will follow Père Pijart.
On arriving at Quebec, Père Pijart found that the injudicious Père
Poncet had been deposed from his office by his superior, Père de
Quen, as a consequence of his promulgation of the bull left behind
by the grand vicar, announcing the opening of the jubilee for August
12th. Père de Quen, now no longer acting as grand vicar, but still
the superior of the Jesuit missions of Canada, had apparently been
ignorant of the arrival of this bull, and he considered that as his
religious superior and that of most of the clergy in the country he
should have had notification of it and he deposed the parish priest,
Père Poncet,--a power which he had arranged with M. de Queylus to
retain as a religious superior according to acknowledged ecclesiastical
etiquette. The position was a new one. Time only could straighten out
the inevitable difficulties arising in a double régime now commencing.
Père Poncet meanwhile, appointed to the Indian mission of Onondaga
started the year previously, left Quebec on August 28th and, passing by
Montreal, informed the "grand vicaire" of the loss of his parish. The
latter impetuously prevailed on him to suspend his journey, forgetful
that in his inexperience he was committing a new breach of church
etiquette in interfering with the orders of the Jesuit superior to
his own subject, and together they arrived, with M. d'Ailleboust and
the deacon, M. d'Allet, acting as Queylus' secretary, at Quebec on
September 12th.
On September 18th, Father Poncet was sent by de Quen back to France, a
sad return for an heroic man but obedience for the Jesuit is the formal
test of heroism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account