Thanks for this insightful article. I had never known that only 40% of French Canadians attended Mass before and presumably were susceptible to Republican ideals. The long tail of Bishop Bourget’s influence was certainly apparent in the next 125 years of Quebechistory and politics. I would also argue that today’s Quebec nationalism continues to carry the echoes of the closed religious society that Bourget fostered.
Yes, I agree with you. He was a favourite of Pius IX and a promoter of papal infallibility. As an Ultramontane, his-45 years as bishop was the gestational period of the Quebecois culture, that is very much alive, and that came into self-awareness in the time of Jean Lesage and René Levesque.
Dear Joe,
Thanks for this insightful article. I had never known that only 40% of French Canadians attended Mass before and presumably were susceptible to Republican ideals. The long tail of Bishop Bourget’s influence was certainly apparent in the next 125 years of Quebechistory and politics. I would also argue that today’s Quebec nationalism continues to carry the echoes of the closed religious society that Bourget fostered.
Hi Michael
Yes, I agree with you. He was a favourite of Pius IX and a promoter of papal infallibility. As an Ultramontane, his-45 years as bishop was the gestational period of the Quebecois culture, that is very much alive, and that came into self-awareness in the time of Jean Lesage and René Levesque.