Jacques Buteux (11 April 1600 – 10 May 1652) was a French-born

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

who became a missionary in Canada.

Biography

Jacques Buteux was born 11 April 1600 in Abbeville, Picardy, the son of a tanner. On 2 October 1620 he entered the Society of Jesus at Rouen. From 1622 to 1625 he studied philosophy at the Collège in La Flèche, where the revered Acadian missioner Father

Énemond Massé Énemond Massé (3 August 1575 – 12 May 1646) was a French Society of Jesus, Jesuit missionary, one of the first Jesuits sent to New France. Life Nesmes Massé was born 3 August 1575 at Lyon. He was the eldest son of François and Philippe B ...

was in residence prior to his second trip to New France. Buteux was ordained priest in 1633. After his course of theology in la Flèche (1629–33), he became prefect at the College of Clermont. Buteux arrived in Quebec on 24 June 1634 and his superior, Father

Paul Le Jeune Paul Le Jeune (1591–1664) was a French Jesuit missionary in New France. He served as the Superior of the Jesuits in the French colony of Canada from 1632 to 1639. During his tenure, he began a mission at Trois-Rivières, founded the community ...

assigned him to the trading post at

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

, under command of the

Sieur de Laviolette The Sieur de Laviolette was the first commander of Trois-Rivières, a Canadian city in Central Quebec. Background The area of Trois-Rivières (Three Rivers), located on the St Lawrence River at the mouth of the St. Maurice River, was first explo ...

. The post was still under construction when he arrived on 8 Sept. 1634. Trois-Rivières was favored at that time by the Montagnais,

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

and Huron as a location for trading with the French. As the congregation grew there had to be a separate Mass in French, as the small chapel could not hold everyone. In 1641

Jean de Quen Jean de Quen (May in Amiens, France – 8 October 1659, in Quebec City) was a French Jesuit missionary, priest and historian. As head of Jesuit missions of New France, he founded the missions to Saguenay. In 1647, Jean de Quen was the first E ...

and

Joseph Poncet Joseph Anthony de la Rivière Poncet (b. at Paris, 17 May 1610; d. at Martinique, 18 June 1675) was a French Jesuit missionary to Canada. Life Poncet was born in Paris in 1610. His father was a member of the Company of One Hundred Associates chart ...

were sent to assist him.Campbell, T.J., "James Buteux", ''Pioneer priests of North America, 1642-1710'', Vol. 3, Fordham University Press, 1910
/ref> An effort to establish a native settlement at the Cap de Trois-Rivières, on the left bank of the St. Maurice River having failed, French settlers were recruited. In 1649, fourteen land-grants were issued. This is the origin of the present town of Cap-de-la-Madeleine. In 1642 he was at Sillery. He visited the post of Tadoussac, from 1644 to 1647. On April 4, 1651, Father Buteux left to go serve the mission of Saint-Pierre, north of Three Rivers, accompanied by a young Frenchman and a young Huron. The three were ambushed by a party of

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

, who seized the Huron. Father Buteux fell, struck by two bullets in the chest. A third musket ball shattered his right arm. A young French soldier, Pierre Fontarabie, was also killed. Their bodies were thrown into the St. Maurice River. The Huron, Tsondoutannen, managed to escape and brought word back to Trois-Rivières. Father Buteux had left letters and many documents in the parish registers giving historians a good profile of his time in Canada. Lac des Îles (Grandes-Piles)

Legacy

A school is named in his honor both in Trois-Rivières and La Tuque. A street is named after him in La Tuque. A National Trail section bearing the name of Jacques-Buteux connects the rest stop of highway 155 of Grandes-Piles on the road 159. The section is 12.9 km. The microbrewery Le Trou du Diable in Shawinigan created a type of abbey beer in his honor.Le Trou du Diable Réserve Jacques Buteux
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buteux, Jacques 1600 births 1652 deaths Roman Catholic missionaries in Canada 17th-century French Jesuits Jesuit missionaries in New France French Roman Catholic missionaries People from Abbeville