Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Encyclopedia
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu.
History
The Society was created by journalist Ludger DuvernayLudger Duvernay
Ludger Duvernay was born in Verchères, Quebec, Canada.He was a printer by profession and published a number of newspapers including the Gazette des Trois-Rivières, the first newspaper in Lower Canada outside of Quebec City and Montreal, and also La Minerve, which supported the Parti patriote and...
in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
. It evolved out of the Société Aide-toi et le ciel t'aidera ("help yourself and Heaven will help you") founded by Duvernay on March 8, 1834. Most notably, it made June 24, St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
day, the national day of the Quebecers. In 1922, June 24 became a public holiday in Quebec, and since 1977 it has been the national holiday of Quebec.
In the 1830s, Lower Canadians of British and (French) Canadian origin founded various charitable and social societies. On December 19, 1834, the English of Lower Canada established the Saint George's Society of Montreal and the Saint George's Society of Quebec on October 12, 1835. The Irish of Lower Canada founded the St. Patrick's Society of Montreal in 1834 also. The Canadiens founded what would become the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society on June 24, 1834. On February 6, 1835, the Scots of Lower Canada established Saint Andrew's Society of Montreal. The German Society of Montreal was also founded in 1835.
The Society adopted the drapeau Carillon Sacré-Coeur in the 19th century and its association with the flag was made quasi-official by the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1926. Between 1903 and the 1940s it was promoted as "the flag of French Canadian Catholics." It was the model for the Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec
The flag of Quebec, called the Fleurdelisé, was adopted for the province by the government of Quebec, during the administration of Maurice Duplessis. It was the first provincial flag officially adopted in Canada, first shown on January 21, 1948, at the Parliament Building of the National Assembly...
and inspired Quebec politician René Chaloult
René Chaloult
René Chaloult was a nationalist politician in Quebec, Canada.-Political career:Chaloult first won a seat to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec as a Union Nationale candidate in the 1936 election in the district of Kamouraska...
, one of the designers of the Quebec flag. This flag has since been largely forgotten except as a family heirloom.
Although similar societies also existed in other parts of British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
or the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the societies of Lower Canada were created in a different context. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society was established to promote French-Canadian interests within Canada and to preserve the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and culture and the Roman Catholic religion. It has been active in the social, cultural, educational, political, and economic spheres. The society was instrumental in the creation of the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal was an educational institution founded in Quebec in 1922. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society was instrumental in its creation....
, the École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal, the Monument-National
Monument-National
The Monument-National is a historic Canadian theatre located at 1182 Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec. Erected between 1891 and 1894, it was originally the Cultural centre of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society.-Yiddish theatre:...
, and the Société nationale de fiducie. In 1899, it created the Caisse nationale d'économie and contributed to the Chambre de Commerce de Montréal. The Society has also created many organizations to assist in its mission, notably the La Fondation du Prêt d'Honneur (1944) and the Fondation J.-Donat-Langelier (1988).
Initially, the society adopted the maple leaf as it emblem, and its Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
branch was the first promoter of the song "O Canada
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
" as symbols of the French-Canadian nation, together with the Carillon Sacré-Coeur flag. These symbols have now been embraced by English Canada
English Canada
English Canada is a term used to describe one of the following:# English-speaking Canadians, as opposed to French-speaking Canadians. It is employed when comparing English- and French-language literature, media, or art...
as national Canadian symbols (a bilingual version of the song eventually became the national anthem of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1980) and are now seen as contrary to the ideas of the Society and many Quebec nationalists
Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
.
The Society had local branches in all the major French-Canadian communities in Quebec, the other Canadian provinces, and the United States. It has however changed considerably over time. When it was created, the French-speaking inhabitants of Canada constituted the only large group wishing to see Canada become an independent country from the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society was an expression of this desire in all its activities. The group, however, was not anti-royalist; for instance, the society's President in 1959 requested, with the support of the Mayor of Quebec City, that Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, Canada's queen, light the main bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
on the eve of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day; though the petition was ultimately rejected by Howard Graham
Howard Graham
Lieutenant General Howard Douglas Graham, was a Canadian Army Officer and former Chief of the General Staff.-Early life:...
, the Queen's Canadian Secretary
Canadian Secretary to the Queen
The Canadian Secretary to the Queen is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the sovereign of Canada. The secretary is the principal channel of communication between the Queen and her Canadian government, provincial governments, and the governments of the fifteen other...
at the time.
During the 20th century, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society eventually focused its action in Quebec and is now a proponent of the independence of Quebec from Canada.
Presently, there are 14 sections of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal in the Greater Montreal Area. The societies are tied to the Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois
Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois
Founded in 1947, the Mouvement national des Québécoises et des Québécois is a federation that groups together the various patriotic organizations in Quebec, Canada...
(MNQ), which also counts 14 affiliated Saint-Jean-Baptiste societies or sociétés nationales in the rest of Quebec.
Awards
The Society awards a number of prizes for various achievements.- Patriot of the YearPatriot of the YearThe Prix Patriote de l'année is an honorary title created in 1975. It is awarded by the patriotic Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society to people "having distinguished [themselves] in the defense of the interests of Quebec and the democracy of peoples, in memory of the Patriotes of the 1830s."- Laureates...
, for the defense of the interests of Quebec (began in 1975) - Bene merenti de patriaBene merenti de patriaBene merenti de patria is a silver medal created in 1923. It is awarded by the Quebec patriotic Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society to a "compatriot having rendered exceptional services to the homeland".- Laureates :*1924: Marie Lacoste Gérin-Lajoie...
, for patriotism (began in 1923) - Ludger-Duvernay Award, for literary talent (began in 1955)
- Olivar-Asselin AwardOlivar-Asselin AwardThe Olivar-Asselin Award is an award created in 1955. It is given by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal to a Quebec journalist having distinguished himself or herself in the field of journalism...
, for journalism (began in 1957) - Calixa-Lavallée AwardCalixa-Lavallée AwardThe Calixa-Lavallée Award is a music award created in 1959. It is granted by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal to a Quebecer having distinguished himself or herself in the field of music...
, for music (began in 1962) - Louis-Philippe-Hébert Award, plastic arts (began in 1971)
- Victor-Morin Award, for theater (began in 1971)
- Esdras-Minville Award, for social science (began in 1978)
- Maurice-Richard Award, for excellence in sports (began in 1979)
- Léon-Lortie Award, sciences (began in 1987)
See also
- List of Presidents of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal
- Lower Canada RebellionLower Canada RebellionThe Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
- Culture of QuebecCulture of QuebecThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...