LAFLÈCHE, LOUIS FRANÇOIS RICHER

Canadian bishop; b. Ste. Anne de la Pérade, Quebec, Canada, Sept. 4, 1818; d. Three Rivers, Quebec, July 14, 1898. He attended Nicolet College, Quebec; was ordained in 1844; and went as a missionary to the Northwest. In 1846 he accompanied Rev. (later Abp.) A. A. tachÉ to La Crosse island, where he distinguished himself by his rapid mastery of the native languages and was the first to reduce the language of the Mantagnas to a grammatical form. After being named titular bishop of Arath (1849), he was ill for five years and begged for a release from the episcopate, suggesting that Taché take his place. In 1851 at Turtle Mountain, N.Dak., he directed the defense of 60 people of mixed native and European descent against 2,000 Sioux who kept them under siege for two days (July 13 and 14). The Sioux finally withdrew, convinced that the Great Spirit was guarding the small band. He returned to Canada (1856) and taught at Nicolet, where he was named president of the college (1859). In 1866 he was appointed coadjutor of Three Rivers and in 1870, succeeded to the see. He was an able administrator and an eloquent orator, whose weekly sermons dealt with the great social and politicoreligious questions of the time. His writings include five volumes of pastoral letters as well as Quelques considerations sur les rapports de la société civile avec la réligion et la famille (Montreal 1866) and Conferences (Three Rivers 1885). He is considered as one of the fathers of French Canadian nationalism.

Bibliography: Généalogie des familles. Richer de LaFlèche et Hamelin (Desauliers 1909). r. rumilly, Monseigneur Laflèche et son temps (Montreal 1938). a. g. morice, Dictionnaire historique des Canadiens et Métis français de l'Ouest (Quebec 1908). j. p. a. benoÎt, Vie de Mgr. Taché, 2 v. (Montreal 1904).

[c. w. westfall]