Ignace Bourget

Ignace Bourget
Born	Template:Birth date Lévis, Quebec, Canada
Died	June 8, 1885(1885-06-08) (aged 85)
Occupation(s)	Roman Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Montreal
Years active	1822–1876
Known for	Bishop of Montreal (1840–1876), ultramontanism, church expansion in Quebec

Ignace Bourget (; October 30, 1799 – June 8, 1885) was a Canadian Roman Catholic clergyman who held the position of Bishop of Montreal between 1840 and 1876. Originating from Lévis, Quebec, Bourget entered the priesthood at an early age, completed his theological education, and was appointed coadjutor bishop of Montreal in 1837. Following the death of Jean-Jacques Lartigue in 1840, he succeeded as Bishop of Montreal.

Throughout the 1840s, Bourget significantly developed the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec by encouraging European missionary organizations such as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Jesuits, Society of the Sacred Heart, and Good Shepherd Sisters. He also established several religious congregations including the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Sisters of Saint Anne, Sisters of Providence, and the Institute of Misericordia Sisters. Bourget commissioned the construction of St James Cathedral (presently known as Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral) and was instrumental in founding both Université Laval and the Hospice of the Holy Child Jesus.

A committed ultramontanist, Bourget was a vigorous defender of papal supremacy across both ecclesiastical and civil domains. He frequently found himself at odds with Canadian secular officials, notably opposing the anti-clerical stance of the Institut Canadien de Montréal, advocating for parochial education in New Brunswick, and denying Catholic burial rites to Joseph Guibord after excommunication. In 1876, amid a Vatican investigation into his political activities, Bourget resigned from his episcopal duties and retired to Sault-au-Récollet, where he continued participating in church matters until his passing in 1885.

Early life

Born on October 30, 1799, in the parish of St Joseph in Lévis, Quebec, Bourget was the eleventh child among thirteen siblings born to farmer Pierre Bourget and Therese Paradis. His initial education took place at home and at Point Lévis school before attending the Petit Séminaire de Québec followed by the Grand Séminaire de Québec.

In 1812, Bourget became a member of the Congrégation de la Sainte-Vierge. He was tonsured on August 11, 1818, in Quebec City and embarked on three years of theological training at the Séminaire de Nicolet, where he also instructed students in Latin. He received minor orders on January 28, 1821, advanced to subdeacon on May 20, and shortly thereafter served as secretary to Jean-Jacques Lartigue, then vicar general of Montreal. His ordination as deacon occurred on December 22, 1821.

Bourget was ordained priest by Lartigue on November 30, 1822. He managed the building project for Saint-Jacques Cathedral, which was finished in 1825. Subsequently, he was appointed chaplain responsible for pastoral care and liturgical services.

When Montreal was elevated to a bishopric status in 1836 with Lartigue as its first bishop, conflicts emerged with the Society of Saint-Sulpice (Sulpicians), who held authority over Montreal Island and resisted Lartigue’s episcopal jurisdiction. Both Lartigue and Bourget embraced ultramontanism, promoting papal authority over local ecclesiastical governance. Despite objections from Sulpicians regarding Bourget’s youth and administrative orientation, Pope Gregory XVI named him coadjutor bishop with right to succeed on March 10, 1837. Bourget received episcopal consecration on July 25, 1837.

At that time, the diocese included 79 parishes alongside 34 missions primarily located in the Eastern Townships region; it also encompassed four Indigenous missions and served more than 186,000 faithful. The city of Montreal itself counted approximately 22,000 Catholics—making up two-thirds of its population. In both 1838 and 1839, Bourget conducted pastoral visits to nearly thirty parishes.

During the Lower Canada Rebellion (1837–38), Lartigue and Bourget openly condemned the insurgents and criticized Louis-Joseph Papineau for favoring secular education over religious schooling. Lartigue called upon Catholics to reject reform efforts and support established governmental authorities.

Bishop of Montreal and Expansion of the Church

Ignace Bourget assumed the position of Bishop of Montreal on April 23, 1840, succeeding Jean-Jacques Lartigue, and maintained this role until 1876.

Bourget significantly extended Montreal’s ecclesiastical influence by founding eight new missions along the northern shore of the Ottawa River, which eventually contributed to the establishment of the Bytown diocese. He transferred clerical education responsibilities to the Petit Séminaire de Montréal under the Sulpician order and endorsed the foundation of the Sisters of Charity of Saint-Hyacinthe, thereby improving healthcare services in that area. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in launching Mélanges religieux, a religious periodical free from political bias.

During a European journey in 1841, Bourget recruited clergy to support Canada’s expanding population and promoted the creation of an ecclesiastical province to streamline diocesan governance. His visit encouraged various religious congregations to set up missions in Montreal between 1841 and 1844, including the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Jesuits, Society of the Sacred Heart, and Good Shepherd Sisters. When certain orders abandoned their plans, Bourget took initiative by establishing local communities such as the Sisters of Providence under Émilie Gamelin and the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary led by Eulalie Durocher.

The papal bull issued on June 12, 1844, formally established the ecclesiastical province of Quebec. Later that year, Bourget officiated at Archbishop Joseph Signay’s pallium ceremony but soon encountered disputes with Signay regarding authority over provincial councils.

Bourget also contributed to Kingston’s growth—then the capital of the Province of Canada—by inviting the Congregation of Notre-Dame to open a primary school and facilitating a hospital staffed by the Religious Hospitallers of St Joseph.

In 1845, he commissioned Rosalie Cadron-Jetté to create the Hospice de Sainte-Pélagie in Montreal for unmarried mothers. By 1848, he further supported Cadron-Jetté’s establishment of the Institute of Misericordia Sisters, dedicated to aiding women facing crisis pregnancies.

On August 30, 1850, Bourget founded the Hospice du Saint-Enfant-Jesus for individuals with hearing impairments; initially managed by Charles-Irénée Lagorce and subsequently by Clerics of St Viator. That same year, he also assisted in founding the Sisters of Saint Ann. In 1853, he launched Annales de la tempérance, a publication promoting temperance efforts.

Church Consolidation

By 1846, tensions arose between Bourget and Archbishop Signay, who opposed his initiatives for church expansion and renovation. On September 25, 1846, Bourget proposed that Signay step back from administrative duties while retaining his metropolitan title. Bourget traveled to Rome with Charles-Félix Cazeau’s support to petition the Pope for Signay’s resignation.

Although he did not succeed in removing Signay from office, Bourget achieved significant accomplishments: establishing the Bytown diocese with his preferred bishop Joseph-Bruno Guigues and securing additional clergy for Montreal from orders such as the Congregation of Holy Cross, Jesuits, and Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart.

During the typhus epidemic in 1847 caused by Irish famine refugees, Bourget actively assisted victims alongside other clergy members; nine priests and thirteen sisters lost their lives while caring for patients. Despite contracting typhus himself, Bourget survived this ordeal. Throughout this period, he produced important pastoral writings and was recognized for his vigorous leadership despite limited rest.

In 1848, Bourget chaired the central committee of the Association des établissements canadiens des townships, established by the Institut Canadien de Montréal. However, internal conflicts with vice-chair Louis-Joseph Papineau led to his resignation within a few months.

Bourget prioritized enhancing ceremonial practices within Montreal’s Catholic Church, favoring Roman liturgical styles over Sulpician customs. He introduced devotions such as the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Sacred Heart devotion, and Forty Hours' Devotion (initiated in 1857), while bringing holy relics from Rome to enrich worship experiences.

Following destructive fires on July 8, 1852—which razed both the Bishop's residence and Saint-Jacques Cathedral—Bourget temporarily relocated before commissioning an impressive cathedral inspired by Rome’s St Peter's Basilica. Although architectural work began late with construction starting only in 1875, after Bourget’s death it was completed in 1894 as St James Cathedral and subsequently rededicated in 1955 as Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral.

Institut Canadien de Montréal

By the time of the second provincial council held in Quebec City in 1854, Bourget had developed a strong mistrust of the Institut Canadien de Montréal, a liberal literary group he considered both anti-clerical and subversive. He played a pivotal role in establishing a disciplinary rule on June 4, 1854, which prohibited members of "literary institutes [with] anti-religious" materials from receiving the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Nevertheless, in late 1854, eleven members affiliated with the Institut were elected to the Legislative Assembly, advocating for secular education through non-denominational schooling.

In 1858, Bourget released pastoral letters condemning liberals, anti-clericals, and specifically targeting the Institut Canadien. The initial letter, dated March 10, attributed revolutionary movements to immoral literature circulated by these groups. During an April 13 meeting, Institut member Hector Fabre suggested implementing self-censorship regarding these controversial books; however, no consensus was achieved.

On April 30, Bourget demanded the removal of "harmful books" from the Institut's library and threatened excommunication for anyone visiting or attending its meetings. This ultimatum led many members, including Fabre, to establish a competing organization known as the Institut Canadien-Français. In a letter dated May 31, Bourget characterized the remaining leaders and the liberal newspaper Le Pays as anti-clerical revolutionaries and rejected the notion of freedom of religious and political expression as incompatible with church teachings.

Efforts to reconcile differences were unsuccessful: a 1864 initiative and a 1865 petition to Pope Pius IX by Catholic members of the Institut went unanswered. Bourget submitted unfavorable reports about the Institut to the Holy Office in both 1866 and 1869. In July 1869, the Annuaire de l’Institut Canadien pour 1868 was officially listed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. The Guibord case (1869–1874) marked the final decline of the Institut; its membership dropped from 700 in 1858 to just 165 by 1875. The organization ceased operating its debating room in 1871 and closed its library by 1880.

The Fall of the Papal States

Bourget maintained a profound interest in Italian political affairs, which had significant repercussions for the Roman Catholic Church. Between 1849 and 1870, Italy’s unification culminated in the loss of sovereignty over the Papal States, which were annexed by the Kingdom of Italy on September 20, 1870. As an adherent of ultramontane principles, Bourget was a staunch defender of papal authority in both spiritual and temporal domains.

From October 23, 1854, until July 29, 1856, Bourget traveled throughout Europe and was present in Rome for the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854. While in France, he authored a work on Roman liturgical practices and distributed complimentary copies to French bishops.

In 1860, Bourget issued pastoral letters denouncing Italy’s unification as an assault on the Church. He criticized Canadian liberal press such as Le Pays and its editor Louis-Antoine Dessaulles for their complicity. His seven letters addressed to Le Pays in February 1862 were refused publication.

Bourget returned to Rome in 1862 to attend the canonization ceremony for the Japanese martyrs, where he received honors including being named a Roman count and granted status as an Assistant at the Papal Throne.

In 1868, Bourget was instrumental in organizing seven Canadian detachments of Papal Zouaves, comprising a total of 507 volunteers sent to defend the Papal States. Despite support from European forces and church expenditures exceeding $111,630, these troops ultimately failed to prevent Rome’s annexation by Italy.

New Brunswick Common Schools Act of 1871

On April 5, 1871, New Brunswick introduced legislation to create government-run "common schools" with mandatory attendance. The Common Schools Act of 1871, enacted on May 17, 1871, superseded the Public Schools Act of 1858 by prohibiting catechism instruction, forbidding teachers from wearing religious attire, and mandating official government certification. This legislation effectively dismantled the prior religious education framework, motivated by concerns over declining educational standards and attendance rates that had dropped to 55%.

John Sweeny, the bishop of Saint John, spearheaded a lengthy but unsuccessful opposition campaign against the act through Catholic legislators and judicial appeals. He also urged Catholics to resist paying school taxes, which led the government to respond with measures including the imprisonment of clergy and property confiscations.

In May 1873, Sweeny secured backing from Quebec bishops, notably Bourget—who played a key role in Lower Canada's religious schooling system—who opposed the act due to its limitations on Catholic education. Their involvement placed pressure on Quebec Conservative MPs to support a no-confidence vote against New Brunswick’s administration. To prevent this outcome, the provincial government consented to finance church legal expenses in return for withdrawing their resistance.

The dispute escalated to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which upheld the government's authority. Despite this ruling, tensions continued and culminated in the 1875 Caraquet riot, resulting in two fatalities by gunfire. Subsequent legislative changes abandoned the common school model in favor of a primarily public system supplemented by government-funded religious schools.

Although New Brunswick implemented a largely secular education system, the conflict and Bourget's role likely deterred Quebec from pursuing similar reforms; notably, Quebec did not establish a Ministry of Education between 1875 and 1964.

Guibord case

Joseph Guibord, a Catholic and member of the Institut Canadien, passed away on November 18, 1869. His widow, Henrietta Brown, wished for his interment in Notre Dame des Neiges, a Catholic burial ground. However, due to Bourget's earlier excommunication of the Institut and a reinforcing letter issued that year, Brown was informed that Guibord could not be buried in the consecrated Catholic section. The cemetery’s curate offered an alternative burial without religious rites in an area designated for non-Catholics and unbaptized infants, which Brown declined. Consequently, Guibord’s remains were temporarily held in a Protestant cemetery vault.

Represented by lawyers Rodolphe Laflamme and Joseph Doutre, Brown initiated legal proceedings that ultimately reached the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England—the highest court for Canada at that time. Their argument asserted that Canadian civil law obligated the Church to permit Guibord’s burial within a Catholic cemetery.

In 1874, the Privy Council ruled in favor of Guibord’s right to be interred in a Catholic cemetery and ordered Bourget and the Church to pay legal expenses. In response, Bourget deconsecrated the burial plot. Upon arrival at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery, Guibord’s coffin was met with hostility and subjected to stone-throwing. Military personnel escorted the body to its final resting place.

Université Laval

In 1852, Bourget played a pivotal role in establishing Université Laval through the Séminaire de Québec, anticipating joint governance by bishops within Quebec’s episcopal province. Nevertheless, authority became concentrated with the archbishop of Quebec and the seminary, resulting in Montreal’s classical colleges remaining unaffiliated by 1858.

Starting in 1862, Bourget envisioned founding a distinct Catholic university in Montreal due to the increasing number of Catholic students attending secular institutions such as McGill College for studies in law and medicine. His 1865 appeal to the Vatican for approval was denied. In 1870, although Université Laval suggested opening a Montreal branch, Bourget rejected this proposal because it would not acknowledge his episcopal jurisdiction. The Vatican’s 1876 directive mandated a Montreal branch subordinate solely to Quebec rather than to Bourget; however, he resigned soon after and did not pursue its establishment.

Partition of Notre-Dame Parish

By 1863, the Notre-Dame parish in Montreal had expanded to approximately 100,000 inhabitants. Traditionally, its parish priest was also the Sulpician superior of the Grand Séminaire de Montréal. Following a request from the Superior General of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, Bourget was tasked by the Holy See with evaluating the parish’s circumstances. He favored maintaining existing arrangements provided he retained the power to remove the parish priest, thereby affirming episcopal authority.

The Sulpicians resisted this hierarchical claim, prompting both Bourget and their Superior General to be summoned to Rome. They rejected Bourget’s dismissal prerogative and threatened to withdraw their 57 priests from Montreal, potentially causing a clergy shortage. After negotiations concluded in 1865, Bourget obtained permission to subdivide Notre-Dame parish under specific terms: new parishes would initially be offered to Sulpicians who would appoint priests subject to the bishop’s formal installation, and dismissal rights over parish priests would be shared.

Between September 1866 and December 1867, Bourget created ten new canonical parishes from Notre-Dame. To establish their legal standing, these parishes required formal incorporation. The Sulpicians advised government authorities against recognizing them, asserting they were merely chapels subordinate to Notre-Dame. This stance led to prolonged legal and political conflicts that were ultimately resolved in Bourget’s favor by 1873 when all parishes received civil recognition.

Retirement, Final Years, and Passing

From October 27 to 30, 1872, Bourget commemorated his golden jubilee of ordination. On May 1, 1873, he ordained Édouard-Charles Fabre as coadjutor bishop at Collège Sainte-Marie. Despite frequent health setbacks, Bourget remained an ardent opponent of liberalism both within Church circles and beyond. His uncompromising position raised apprehensions among Quebec’s Archbishop and advisors about his decision-making and the Church’s deepening political involvement. Consequently, Ignazio Persico recommended a Vatican investigation into Bourget’s conduct.

In anticipation of this inquiry, Bourget resigned as Bishop of Montreal on April 28, 1876; the Pope accepted his resignation on May 15 with effect from September. Subsequently, he was appointed archbishop of the titular see of Marcianopolis and retired early in 1877 to Sault-au-Récollet, accompanied by his secretary Joseph-Octave Paré.

Between August and October 1881, Bourget journeyed to Rome advocating unsuccessfully for establishing a second Catholic university in Montreal. In 1882, he spearheaded fundraising efforts aimed at reducing the Diocese’s $840,000 debt, reporting that $84,782 had been collected by October. His last public event occurred on November 9, 1882, at Boucherville during celebrations marking his diamond ordination anniversary.

Bourget passed away on June 8, 1885, at Sault-au-Récollet. His funeral took place at Notre Dame Church officiated by Father Collin, Superior of the Sulpicians. He was laid to rest beside predecessor Jean-Jacques Lartigue beneath a pillar under St James Cathedral’s southwest dome—later renamed Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral. On March 20, 1993, his remains were transferred to the cathedral’s mortuary chapel designated for bishops. A statue sculpted by Louis-Philippe Hébert was unveiled on June 24, 1903, on the cathedral parvis; this monument was funded through donations totaling roughly $25,000 from Catholic clergy and laity. The statue underwent cleaning and restoration work in 2005.

See also

• Ignace Bourget Monument

Books

• History of the Guibord Case: Ultramontanism versus Law and Human Rights, Anonymous, Montreal: Witness Printing House, 1875
• Grégoire, Hélène. Rosalie Cadron-Jetté: A Story of Courage and Compassion, Rosalie-Cadron-Jetté Centre, Montreal, 2007

Reference works

• Bruchési, Paul. "Ignace Bourget," in CE1913, vol. 2
• Jean Marguerite, Émilie Tavernier, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 2000
• Murphy, Terrence. John Sweeny, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 2000
• Snyder, Lorraine. "New Brunswick School Question," The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2011
• Sylvain Philippe. Bourget, Ignace, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 2000

Web content

• Zolf, Larry. "To hell with Jean Chrétien," CBC News Viewpoint, August 6, 2003

External links

• Archbishop Ignace Bourget – Catholic-Hierarchy.org entry