Énemond Massé
Encyclopedia
Énemond Massé was a French Jesuit missionary, one of the first Jesuits sent to New France
.
. Before leaving for French Canada
, he was the confessor of Antoinette de Pons, the Marquise de Guercheville. Her interest in financing the Jesuit mission led to his deployment and helped provide rigorous support.
He went to Acadia
with Pierre Biard
, and when that mission failed, they established a new mission at the present Bar Harbor, Maine
, which was soon after destroyed by the English. Massé was set adrift on the sea in an open boat. He succeeded in reaching a French ship and returned to France.
In 1625 he again set sail for Canada, and remained there until the fall of Quebec
. He returned a third time in 1632, but, as he was in advanced in age, he no longer laboured among the natives, but lived mostly at Sillery, which he built as a reservation for the converts. He died at Sillery
, and a monument was erected to his honour at this place on the site of the old Jesuit Church which stood on the bank of the St. Lawrence River, a short distance above Quebec.
Unlike many of the Jesuits who went to New France in the seventeenth century, Massé left few written accounts of any significance. We learn about his experience at Port Royal, Nova Scotia
, Acadia (present day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
) primarily though the works of Biard and Marc Lescarbot
, who wrote on behalf of Jean Biencourt and Charles Biencourt.
Attribution
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
.
Life
Massé was born at LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. Before leaving for French 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...
, he was the confessor of Antoinette de Pons, the Marquise de Guercheville. Her interest in financing the Jesuit mission led to his deployment and helped provide rigorous support.
He went to Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
with Pierre Biard
Pierre Biard
Pierre Biard was a Jesuit missionary who was given orders by Father Pierre Coton, confessor and preacher to King Louis XIII, to take charge of the Jesuit mission, located in Acadia. The colonial territory in northeastern North America rejected Father Biard's authority, resulting in a hostile...
, and when that mission failed, they established a new mission at the present Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
, which was soon after destroyed by the English. Massé was set adrift on the sea in an open boat. He succeeded in reaching a French ship and returned to France.
In 1625 he again set sail for Canada, and remained there until the fall of Quebec
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....
. He returned a third time in 1632, but, as he was in advanced in age, he no longer laboured among the natives, but lived mostly at Sillery, which he built as a reservation for the converts. He died at Sillery
Sillery
Sillery may refer to:*Sillery, Quebec City, a district Quebec City, Canada*Sillery, Marne, a commune in Marne, France-People with the name:*Noël Brûlart de Sillery , French diplomat, Knight of Malta and religious figure after whom the district in Quebec is named*Pierre Brulart, marquis de Sillery ,...
, and a monument was erected to his honour at this place on the site of the old Jesuit Church which stood on the bank of the St. Lawrence River, a short distance above Quebec.
Unlike many of the Jesuits who went to New France in the seventeenth century, Massé left few written accounts of any significance. We learn about his experience at Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
, Acadia (present day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
) primarily though the works of Biard and Marc Lescarbot
Marc Lescarbot
Marc Lescarbot was a French author, poet and lawyer, best known for his Histoire de la Nouvelle-France , based on his expedition to Acadia and research into French exploration. Considered one of the first great books in the history of Canada, it was printed in three editions, and was translated...
, who wrote on behalf of Jean Biencourt and Charles Biencourt.
External links
Attribution