François-Xavier Babineau (21 March 1825 – 16 April 1890) was a
Canadian Catholic priest, and the first
New Brunswick-born
Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
to become a Catholic priest.
Babineau was born the son of prosperous farmers in New Brunswick. He received his early education locally and then studied at
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière in
Canada East
Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...
. He pursued further studies for the priesthood at
Quebec City, and was ordained in 1851 by Bishop
Charles-François Baillargeon
Charles-François Baillargeon (April 26, 1798 – October 13, 1870) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and archbishop.
Biography
He was from Lower Canada and studied at the Collège de Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud and Collège de Ni ...
.
Babineau returned to his home province to minister and served in a number of parishes. In 1859 at
Cap-Pelé, he singlehandedly saw a number of his parishioners through a
smallpox epidemic.
In 1864, François-Xavier became the first resident priest for Cap-Pelé and, over a number of years, ministered there and at Buctouche, New Brunswick.
In 1878, being unhappy with his postings, he left the ministry. In 1881, he obtained a teaching certificate and finished his life in that capacity.
References
External links
Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
19th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests
Acadian people
1825 births
1890 deaths
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