Franciscans in Canada: Historical Essays

The Franciscan presence in Canada spans close to 400 years. This volume presents six previously published essays that permit a better understanding of the why, where, and how the Franciscan Order came to be present: first, in New France, or the regions of eastern Canada, as Recollects; and then, in the last century, as the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) both in eastern and western Canada. Five of the essays, first published in French, have been translated into English to make the Franciscan story more accessible to English speaking readers.

The essays come from two major books. First, Les Récollets en Nouvelle-France: Traces et Mémoir, (2018) a compilation of scholarly works edited by Paul-André Dubois which treats the presence of the early friars - predominantly Recollects--in various locations of eastern Canada. Included are essays by noted scholars Bernard Dompnier, Paul-André Dubois, Rénald Lessard, and A.J.B. Johnston (the sole essay in English).

Second, Jean Hamelin's Les Franciscains au Canada, published as a centenary project in 1990, contains an important historical study by Hamelin (included in the collection) of the reestablishment of the Franciscans, that is the Order of Friars Minor (into which the Recollects were incorporated at the Leonine Union of 1897) in Canada. The essay recounts how despite linguistic, cultural, and geographic differences, the Order took root in western Canada thanks to the many friars who came to anglophone regions from predominantly francophone eastern Canada. An essay by Noël Bélanger on Franciscans and education rounds out the collection.

These newly translated essays provide a vibrant picture of Franciscan contributions to Canadian life and culture, both civil and ecclesial.