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Show FR. ZEPHYRIN AND ANDRES THEVET The historian of Lower California, with characteristic charac-teristic courtesy, has written to The Intermountain Catholic a very interesting letter which we publish on another page. We have already recorded our admiration ad-miration for his admirable achievements in the domain do-main of missionary enterprise in Lower California. His "History of Missions and Missionaries of Lower California" is entitled to classic honors. In today's letter Father Zephyrin writes: "Dr. Shea mentions two secular priests who had arrived (in Xew France) before the Jesuits. The Franciscan Francis-can Fr. Andres Thevet claims to have visited New France as early as 1575." Dr. John Gilmary was a tireless burrower, tunneller and miner into dustv tomes and moth eaten manuscripts, and in his day he was a great man, but he was great because he was the pioneer of early American Catholic history. He lacked the critical and analytical faculty and his "History of Catholic Missions" is punctuated with errors. Gilmary Shea was, among the persecuted and comparatively illiterate Catholics of his time, a distinguished dis-tinguished man to whom the church, as a human organization, or-ganization, owes a lasting debt of gratitude. It was Corneille who said "parmi les avengles, le borgne est roi among the blind, the one-eyed man is king," and in the trying days of the past Dr. Shea had one good eye. We would suggest to Father Fath-er Zephyrin not to depend too much on Shea for he may find that in many instances he will be leaning on a broken reed. When the Huegonot de Monts sailed from Saint Malo on April V, 1G04, he took with him on board one of his ships Samuel Champlain. Baron de Pon-trincourt, Pon-trincourt, a Protestant minister and a priest, Nicholas Nich-olas Aubry-Deuvres de Champlain, 2 ed., L. III., eh. IX. On the ship commanded by Pontgrave was another priest, whose name is not mentioned by Champlain, Lescarbot or any early writer. This unknown priest Tind the Protestant minister died in Acadia in the winter of 1G05-100G and were buried in the same grave Lescarbot L. IV., chap. III. Sagard, Ilistoire du Canada, 1636, p. 9. In 1606 there was no priest in Canada. The Abbe Aubry had returned to France and Marc Lescarbot was teaching the catechism to the Indians around Port Royal. In February, 1610, Poutrincourt sailed from Dieppe for Xew France bringing with him. Father Fleche, a secular priest. On June 24, 1610, this priest baptized the Mic-Mac chief, Mamberton, his family and twenty members of the tribe. On May 22, 1611, the two Jesuits, Peres Biard and Enemond Masse came to Port Royal, Aeadie, and entered at once on their missionary labors (Documents ined-its, ined-its, du P. Caron, Doc. XII., p. 9.) This briefly is the history epitomised of the beginning be-ginning of mssionary work in Canada. The Franciscan Fran-ciscan Fr. Andres Thevet, who claimed to have visited vis-ited Canada in 1575, must have gone out as a "stowaway." "stow-away." His name is not found in any of the eajly reliable documents or histories and no claim can be held to be valid unsupported by documentary evi-deuce. evi-deuce. The Franciscan Fathers, Denis Jamay, Jean D'Olbeau, Joseph Le Caron and brother, Pacifiquu Duplessis, -who arrived at Tadoussae, May 25, lG'ltt were the first Franciscans to land in Canada and plunge into heroic missionary work with the Mon-tagnais Mon-tagnais of the Saguenay rocks and the northern forests for-ests of the Ilurons. These fearless priests were not the only Franciscans who preached to the tribes, Fathers Paul Huet, Modiste Guines, Guillaumc Poulain, De le Roche DailJon Nicolas Viel and many others did missionary work in Canada Brother Gabriel Sagard accompanied Le Caron on his second visit to the Wyandottes and while among them collected much of the material for his famous history. The Franciscan order has giveji to humanity hu-manity such a brilliant constellation of martyrs, confessors and great names that it need not go beyond be-yond the facts of history to add to its. glory or its reputation. |