Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Great Missionaries | 2. Paul Le Jeune (1591-1664)

Mardi, 10 Fevrier, 2015
Verse of the Day« Si je parle les langues des hommes, et même celles des anges, mais que je n’ai pas l’amour, je suis un cuivre qui résonne ou une cymbale qui retentit. Si j’ai le don de prophétie, la compréhension de tous les mystères et toute la connaissance, si j’ai même toute la foi jusqu'à transporter des montagnes, mais que je n’ai pas l’amour, je ne suis rien. Et si je distribue tous mes biens aux pauvres, si même je livre mon corps aux flammes, mais que je n’ai pas l’amour, cela ne me sert à rien. »—1 Corinthiens 13 :1-3

Quote of the Day“The one who kills a criminal without authority becomes a criminal himself.”—Blaise Pascal
« Celui qui sans autorité tue un criminel se rend criminel lui-même. »—Blaise Pascal


What’s Really Happening Over Here:
Weather – Overcast, Precip. 0%
Temperature – 32⁰F
More News – http://www.leparisien.fr/ 

A Day In The Life:
I really like my new host family. They’re very unique to say the least! They have a swing in the middle of their living room, they built their entire house themselves, they go mountain climbing and skiing ALL the time, and they too have a tendency to force me to eat. Not that I’m complaining…

There is a first for everything, and they tend to come quickly when you do something like move to France for a bit. Yesterday, I climbed my first mountain. It was an absolutely incredible experience to say the least. This is something my host family does quite often, and my host dad has about 10 pairs of snow pants, 10 pairs of heavy duty snow shoes, and 50 pairs of gloves, so needless to say I was well taken care of.

The kids and their granddad took the train to the top, my host dad went up on his skis, and I walked. It was actually a lot of fun. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, it was dead quiet, I was nowhere near cold, and I had some quality time to think to myself, and pray. I really value time to myself like that. The only thing was, that technically the way I was going was not allowed, but my host dad Jean said that people go up that way all the time, and that if I see anyone I should hide, and that if I get caught I should just say that I was American and didn’t know where I was going. Fine with me! It actually really wasn’t that big of a deal at all, but just for fun and because no one else could see me I jumped off the side of the road into the snow every time I saw a train or car or person coming. I also got distracted for a fair amount of time trying to find a solid walking stick in the surrounding woods, but had no luck, so I kept going. Oh and there were about two or three times I tried to take shortcuts up the side of the mountain because they looked rugged and adventurous, but the snow was so deep that I literally go absolutely nowhere. So I slid back down to the path and went the normal way.

Game time

There she is! "Le Puy-de-Dôme" (Pwee-duh-dome)



Found Narnia!

Absolutely unbelievable. To think that my Father made this, and that He loves me.



We made it!
That's me. In the woods. Falling. Not on purpose this time.
Headed down...

The view from the very top!
Following Jean down to the bottom on foot...one of those bright ideas that wasn't very bright but I'm glad I did it.



Eventually, like two hours later, I got to the top, and it was amazing, although very cold and very windy! Jean and I took some pictures, and then we got ready to head down. He had invited me to follow him down – the kids and their granddad were taking the train again. The only thing was that he was skiing and I would have to run behind him. Of course I’m coming down with you! Why would I go down the tamed way? It was so much fun, every part of it. I was running down a mountain with snow at least 4 ½ feet deep (I’m not kidding, it’s the most snow I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m from Ohio so that’s saying something. Apparently I brought the curse with me too, because Jean said it has never snowed this much since he’d been here either, not that he was complaining!). I was jumping and rolling and sliding and sinking and it was great…til we got to the woods...Then my legs started to get really really tired, and it became a legitimate workout for me (I was kind of hoping it would. When I got back it felt like I had just played a game). I could barely put one foot in front of the other because the snow was so deep, and now when I was falling it wasn’t on purpose. At some point along the way my right shoe got untied and was filled with snow. When I noticed I wasn’t going to say anything, because by now I was getting pretty dang cold and pretty tired, and I just wanted to get back to the bottom (although I was really enjoying the challenge!). But, he noticed, and made me sit down and take the shoe off (took probably around 5 minutes), and then he cleaned the snow out, and then we spent (again, I’m not kidding) probably 15 minutes trying to force and pry and shove it back on. We finally did, and he tied it really tight this time. By now though, my hands were gone.

When we got out of the woods we split up so he could ski the rest of the way and I cut back onto the road which was the quickest way down for walking from this point. I honestly really enjoyed myself, and I can easily say that will not be the last mountain I climb (LORD willing)!

Paul Le Jeune:
Paul Le Jeune was a French missionary to the Americas during the 17th century. His commitment to educating and loving the people he ministered to serves as a wonderful example for the church – as
we are all missionaries, whether domestic or abroad.

Le Jeune was born to a Huguenot family in Vitry-le-François in the region of Champagne, France in 1591, and converted to Roman Catholicism at the age of sixteen. Le Jeune received a thorough preparation for the Jesuit priesthood; he was a novice for two years between 1613 and 1615, and he was deeply influenced by his mentor Father Massé, whom he met at the collège Henri IV de La Flèche. During his studies, Le Jeune developed a keen interest in missions and became convinced that education was a key element in any successful attempt to spread Christianity.

In 1624, Le Jeune was ordained, and in 1632 he was named superior of the Jesuit mission in Canada. It was then that he journeyed to Quebec and began his religious and educational work in the colony. Le Jeune remained the superior of the Jesuit mission until 1639 when he was replaced by Father Barthélemy Vimont, but he did not return to France until 1649. Upon his return, he served as the mission procurator of New France until 1662, only two years before his death.

Teaching to Native Americans and African Slaves
Le Jeune encouraged the missionaries to learn the native languages. The Jesuits also sought to teach the native peoples both vernacular European languages and the Latin of the Catholic Church. Le Jeune was no exception, and spent many years traveling and teaching throughout New France.

Perhaps best known for his work with the Native American population, Le Jeune displayed an eagerness for learning various Native American languages. Among his most well-documented experiences are his travels during the winter of 1633-1634 among the Montagnais. While his work during those six months did not result in mass conversions as he had hoped, his ethnographic account of the Montagnais and his personal anecdotes about the cold, hunger, and conflicts he encountered are recorded in Relations des Jésuites de la Nouvelle-France of 1634. This is perhaps the most famous of what are commonly known as the Jesuit Relations, which were published in Paris throughout most of the seventeenth century.

Le Jeune and his contemporaries did not limit their efforts in conversions and education to Native Americans. While there were fewer slaves in the French colonies than in the English and Spanish ones, Le Jeune's interactions with African slaves in Quebec set a key precedent that would inspire later generations of priests, teachers, activists, and abolitionists. Despite their imperialistic tendencies, Jesuit dogma viewed all people as equal before God and as having equal need for salvation. Thus, it was incumbent on the Church to provide for the intellectual and spiritual well-being of slaves.

Le Jeune himself adopted a very direct approach to this issue. As early as 1634, Le Jeune expressed enthusiasm because he found himself teaching African children the alphabet, and in Volume V of The Jesuit Relations he emphasized the need for Africans to gain sufficient learning and literacy so that they could demonstrate enough of an understanding of Catholic dogma to secure the rite of baptism.

Since Jesuits consistently emphasized the role of the intellect, it is logical that they advocated education for slaves throughout the colonies. Most of the priests' work was with slave children; unlike adults, they were granted time away from their masters for basic schooling, and since so much cultural disruption had already taken place, slave parents were not generally viewed as opponents to education in the same way that Native American parents were.

In their work with the children of colonists, slaves, and Native Americans, Le Jeune and his fellow Jesuits used the same sort of materials, such as a primer or hornbook that were used throughout the North American colonies. These materials transmitted traditional European cultural and religious beliefs while they encouraged literacy. Teaching the catechism, biblical passages, and religious stories was, the Jesuits believed, the primary role of literacy in New France.

Legacy
The writings and experiences of Le Jeune and his fellow Jesuits are reflected in the Code Noir passed by France's King Louis XIV in 1685. This document outlined the rights of both slaves and their masters throughout the French colonies and notably advocated that slaves gain enough education that they would understand and embrace Catholicism. In fact, slave masters were required to offer access to baptism.

Le Jeune’s influence was not limited to Canadian territories or seventeenth century Jesuits; when the French settled Louisiana, there was a clear sense that literacy and religion were interconnected. Even after Louisiana became part of the United States, Catholic priests and laypersons continued to advocate for slave literacy. Indeed, the lack of formal education for slaves became a key factor in the Catholic Church’s later support of Abolitionism.
(The indented information above is a direct quote from the article on Paul Le Jeune found on Wikipedia.com)


Let us follow Le Jeune’s example, and educate the world around us about the cross of Jesus Christ.

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