Modeste Demers
Bishop of Vancouver Island | |
Province | Oregon City |
Diocese | Vancouver Island |
Appointed | July 28, 1846 |
Installed | November 30, 1847 |
Term ended | July 28, 1871 |
Successor | Charles John Seghers |
Orders | |
Ordination | February 7, 1836 by Joseph Signay |
Consecration | November 30, 1847 by François Norbert Blanchet |
Personal details | |
Born | |
Died | July 28, 1871 Victoria, British Columbia | (aged 61)
Buried | St. Andrew's Cathedral |
Nationality | Canadian |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Parents | Michel Demers & Rosalie Foucher |
Education | Séminaire de Québec |
Modeste Demers (11 October 1809 – 28 July 1871) was a
Roman Catholic Bishop and missionary in the Oregon Country.[1] A native of Quebec, he traveled overland to the Pacific Northwest and preached in the Willamette Valley and later in what would become British Columbia
.
Early life
Modeste Demers was born 11 October 1809, in
Joseph-Norbert Provencher. His stay there was short and he traveled to the Oregon Country with François Norbert Blanchet to perform his duties as a priest and missionary. (See St. Paul's Mission
.)
Oregon Country
In 1838, Demers arrived with Blanchet in the Willamette Valley of what would become the U.S. state of
Chinookan nation. For the Chinooks, he quickly learned the language and worked on a dictionary, a catechism, a prayer book, and hymns in that language. In 1844, he became the first priest at Oregon City.[2]
British Columbia
Demers’ work carried him north to present day British Columbia where his knowledge of the French and English languages, and his affinity for native languages allowed him to continue his mission. In 1847, Demers was consecrated Bishop of
It was a diocese which lacked funds and priests and was largely unexposed to Christianity. He worked tirelessly, traveling to raise funds and acquire new priests. As well, he struggled with health problems during his last years.One of his friends was Sir
James Douglas who was governor of Vancouver Island and British Columbia and the head of the Hudson's Bay Company operations in the Columbia District. Demers and Douglas had met when Demers had first arrived at Fort Vancouver
. They had interacted in this small colony which was replaced by a much larger and modern society during Demers tenure.
He died on 28 July 1871.[2] Modeste Demers, the first Bishop of Victoria, is interred in the crypt of that city's St. Andrew's Cathedral.
References
- ^ Jean Usher. "DEMERS, MODESTE". University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
- ^ "Bishop Modeste Demers †". Catholic Hierarchy.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Modeste Demers". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.