Benoît Lacroix
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Benoît Lacroix (; 8 September 1915 – 2 March 2016) was a Quebec theologian, philosopher, Dominican priest, professor in
medieval studies Medieval studies is the academic interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. Institutional development The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening decades of the twentieth century, initially in the titles of books ...
and historian of the Medieval period, and author of almost 50 works and a great number of articles.Université de Montréal: Nos pionnières et nos pionniers - Benoît Lacroix


Biography


Early life

He was born Joachim Lacroix in
Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse is a municipality of about 1,800 people about 20 km east of Lévis, in Bellechasse Regional County Municipality in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada Canada is a country in North Americ ...
,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, one of five children to Caïus Lacroix and Rose-Anna Blais. He studied at Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière obtaining a baccalaureate in the arts in 1936. The same year, he entered the Dominican school in
Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Hyacinthe (; French: ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérég ...
to study religion. He was ordained a priest with the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...
on 5 July 1941, obtaining a degree in
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
from the
Dominican University College The Dominican University College (DUC; french: Collège universitaire dominicain) is a bilingual university located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Since 2012, Dominican University College has been an affiliated college of Carleton University. F ...
in Ottawa in 1941. According to Pietro Boglioni, a historian who wrote a comprehensive biography of Lacroix, he was named Benoît after becoming a Dominican priest, in memory of
Pope Benedict XI Pope Benedict XI ( la, Benedictus PP. XI; 1240 – 7 July 1304), born Nicola Boccasini (Niccolò of Treviso), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 October 1303 to his death in 7 July 1304. Boccasini entered the ...
(in French, Benoît XI), a Dominican pope from the Middle Ages. After entering the Dominican Order, Father Benoît Lacroix wanted to travel in a mission to Europe to specialize in liturgical studies. But
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
halted his ambitions and instead he studied for a Ph.D. in Mediaeval Sciences from the
Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) is a research institute in the University of Toronto that is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture of the Middle Ages. Governance The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto, currently Th ...
in Toronto in 1951, under the guidance of philosopher, historian professor
Étienne Gilson Étienne Henri Gilson (; 13 June 1884 – 19 September 1978) was a French philosopher and historian of philosophy. A scholar of medieval philosophy, he originally specialised in the thought of Descartes; he also philosophized in the tradition ...
, who encouraged him to study
Historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...
. His thesis was titled "Les Débuts de l'historiographie chrétienne" (The Beginnings of Christian Historiography") followed by "L'Histoire dans l'antiquité" (History in Antiquity) in 1951 with a preface by historian philosopher and
Early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...
expert professor
Henri-Irénée Marrou Henri-Irénée Marrou (; 12 November 1904 in Marseilles – 11 April 1977 in Bourg-la-Reine) was a French historian. A Christian humanist in outlook, his work was primarily in the spheres of Late Antiquity and the history of education. He is b ...
. He completed his post-doctoral studies at
École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...
, and at
École Nationale des Chartes The École Nationale des Chartes (, literally National School of Charters) is a French ''grande école'' and a constituent college of Université PSL, specialising in the historical sciences. It was founded in 1821, and was located initially at ...
both in Paris in 1952-1953 and at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
in 1959-1960, with a bursary from the Guggenheim Fellowship.


Career

Between 1945 and 1985, he lectured at various periods at the Institute of Medieval Studies at
Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...
, and was appointed director of the Institute between 1963 and 1969. He was also an invited professor and lecturer at universities in Kyoto University in Japan in 1961, the
National University of Rwanda The National University of Rwanda (NUR; rw, Kaminuza nkuru y’u Rwanda, french: Université nationale du Rwanda, UNR) was the largest university in Rwanda. It was located at in the city of Butare and was established in 1963 by the government i ...
in Butare, Rwanda in 1965–1966 and at the Chair of Quebec Civilisation at
University of Caen Normandy The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...
, in Caen France (1973–1976). According to historian Guy Laperrière, Benoît Lacroix's initial literary beginning were his writings about literature, art and history particularly in ''La Revue Dominicaine''. Starting in 1962, he was collaborating with Father Henri-Marie Bradet, the founder of the publication who also founded ''Maintenant'', another important intellectual publication. Lacroix succeeded Bradet at ''La Revue Dominicaine'' in 1985 after Bradet was stripped of his duties as editor in chief during the turbulent times of the
Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution (french: Révolution tranquille) was a period of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in French Canada which started in Quebec after the election of 1960, characterized by the effective secularization of govern ...
(Révolution tranquille in French) on what became known as the "Bradet Affair" which was interpreted as a "freedom of expression" issue and his departure a result of a scheme to silence him by the Quebec provincial superior of the Dominican Order Father Thomas-M. Rondeau after having received stern warnings about Bradet from his Dominican superiors in Rome. Lacroix shaken by the affair wrote the preface to a biographical book by Denyse Boucher St-Pierre in 1973 in memory of Father Bradet. In 1968, Lacroix founded the ''Centre d'études des religions populaires'' (Centre of Studies of Popular Religions). Between 1968 and 1971, the Centre published 12 papers, ''Cahiers d'études des religions populaires'' and organized between 1970 and 1982, 11 academic conferences about popular religion in French-speaking Catholics in Quebec, Ontario and Acadie. In collaboration with Jacques Brault, Lacroix published a critical edition on the works of the Quebec poet and writer Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau under the title ''Œuvres de Saint-Denys Garneau'' in 1971. From 1973 to 1976, Lacroix was director of chair of Quebec Studies at
University of Caen Normandy The University of Caen Normandy (French: ''Université de Caen Normandie''), also known as Unicaen, is a public university in Caen, France. History The institution was founded in 1432 by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, the first rector ...
in France, greatly encouraging the cultural and academic exchange between France and Quebec, particularly in education. Hundreds of professors and students benefited from the exchanges. After leaving the chair, the position was taken by sociologist Jean-Charles Falardeau. In the mid-1980s, he left the academic life at the university, to work more freely as author, presenter, communicator and thinker, gaining wide fame in religious and intellectual circles in Quebec according to professor and historian Pietro Boglioni. In 1979 he was a founding member of ''Institut québécois de recherche'' (IQRC, Quebec Research Institute). headed by sociologist Fernand Dumont under the ministerial jurisdiction of
Camille Laurin Camille Laurin (May 6, 1922 – March 11, 1999) was a psychiatrist and ''Parti Québécois'' (PQ) politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. A MNA member for the riding of Bourget, he is considered the father of Quebec's language law k ...
, Minister of State for Cultural and Scientific Development in Quebec at the time, from 1980 to 1986, was a member of the Science Committee of the Institute, heading notably in 1980 the IQRC sub-group specializing in popular religions that was made of Lacroix, Lucille Côté, Hélène Dionne, Michèle Trudel-Drouin, Danielle Nepveu and Louise Rondeau, including organizing of an international academic conference in 1982 on studies of popular religions in close collaboration with Jean-Paul Montminy, another father from the Dominican Order, assisted by Fernand Dumont, Pierre Savard et Jean Simard. With Simard, Benoît Lacroix published ''Religion populaire, religion de clercs?'' (Popular religion, the religion of the clergy?) in 1984 followed by another co-authorship with Madeleine Grammond in 1985 titled ''Religion populaire au Québec. Typologie des sources: Bibliographie sélective (1900-1980)''. A Spanish translation of his work was published by
Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua Santa María La Antigua Catholic University ( es, Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, USMA) is a private university in Panama City, Panama. It was established in 1965 as the first private university in Panama. As of 2021, it had 5,879 ...
in
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
under the title ''Tipologia en la religiosidad popular en Canada''. He also published popular works like ''La religion de mon père'' (The Religion of My Father) in 1986 and ''La foi de ma mère'' (The Faith of My Mother) in 2001. He also took part in a number of radio and television shows about the popular religion. Between 1987 and 2010, Benoît Lacroix wrote and published a number of essays with a spiritual and poetic tendency in Montreal French-language daily ''
Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large-c ...
''. In 2012, Quebec journalist Josée Blanchette published a long documentary about Father Benoît Lacroix and the Convent of Saint-Albert-le-Grand of the Dominicans, on chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine à Montréal, under the title ''Bonté divine: 24 heures au couvent des dominicains''. He was a friend and greatly respected by academicians as well as intellectuals and personalities from all walks of life including professor Étienne Gilson, French philosopher Jacques Maritain, Canadian Prime Minister
Pierre Elliott Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...
, Mgr.
Félix-Antoine Savard Félix-Antoine Savard, (August 31, 1896 – August 24, 1982) was a Canadian priest, academic, poet, novelist and folklorist. Born in Quebec City, he grew up in Chicoutimi, Quebec. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1918 and was ordained a pri ...
, Father
Georges-Henri Lévesque Georges-Henri Lévesque (February 16, 1903 – January 15, 2000) was a Canadian Dominican priest and sociologist and a liberal figure during the conservative Duplessis era in Quebec. Biography Born in Roberval, Quebec, the son of Georg ...
,
Abbé Pierre Abbé Pierre, OFM Cap, (born Henri Marie Joseph Grouès; 5 August 191222 January 2007) was a French Catholic priest, member of the Resistance during World War II, and deputy of the Popular Republican Movement (MRP). In 1949, he founded the Em ...
, sociologist, philosopher, theologian and poet
Fernand Dumont Fernand Dumont (24 June 1927 – 1 May 1997) was a Canadian sociologist, philosopher, theologian, and poet from Quebec.Gilles Vigneault Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Quebec's unofficial anthems: " Mon pays" and " Gens du pays", ...
and writers Robert Élie, Jean Le Moyne and Jacques Brault. In 2012, Lacroix celebrated 75 years of priesthood and religious life. Lacroix became a
centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centen ...
, in September 2015, and died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
on 2 March 2016.


Awards and honours

In 1971, he became a member of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the French
Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
. In 1981, he was awarded the prestigious
Prix Léon-Gérin The Prix Léon-Gérin is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, which "goes to researchers in one of the social sciences". It is named in honour of Léon Gérin. Winners See also * List of social sciences ...
, an award established by the Government of Quebec as part of the Prix du Québec, which "goes to researchers in one of the social sciences". The prize committee sited his works as a theologian, a specialist in popular religions, writer, literary historian and Dominican father, quoting sociologist, theologian, priest and writer Jacques Grand'Maison that Lacoix was one of the best witnesses of Quebec's history from medieval times and as a historian, in the intellectual tradition that fascilated western thinking. His works also permitted a better understanding of Quebec history in new eyes, adding that since the 1950s and the very first of his publications with ''Pourquoi aimer le Moyen Âge'' (Why Love the Middle Ages), he showed his expertise in medieval studies and in popular religions. In 1982, he became a member of Société des Dix, a group of Quebec historians and in 1985, became an Officer of
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...
(O.C.). In 1097, he received the
Pierre Chauveau Medal The Pierre Chauveau Medal is a biennial award of the Royal Society of Canada "for a distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities other than Canadian literature and Canadian history". The award consists of a silver medal and is named ...
awarded by the Royal Society of Canada "for a distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities other than Canadian literature and Canadian history" and in 1990, received an honorary Doctorat honoris causa from
Université de Sherbrooke The University of Sherbrooke (French: Université de Sherbrooke) (UdS) is a large public French-language university in Quebec, Canada with campuses located in Sherbrooke and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It i ...
. He became a Knight of
National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...
and 5 years later Grand Officer of the same Quebec order. The public library in
Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse is a municipality of about 1,800 people about 20 km east of Lévis, in Bellechasse Regional County Municipality in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada Canada is a country in North Americ ...
, the hometown of Benoît Lacroix was renamed "Bibliothèque Benoît-Lacroix" in his honour.


Bibliography

;Publications *''L'historien au Moyen Âge'', Paris, Librairie J. Vrin; Montréal: Institut d'études médiévales, 1971, 301 p. *''Orose et ses idées'', Paris, Librairie J. Vrin; Montréal: Institut d'études médiévales, 1965, 235 p. *''Pourquoi aimer le Moyen Âge?'', Montréal, ''L'Œuvre des tracts'', 367, 1950, 15 p. *''Les débuts de l'historiographie médiévale'', doctoral thesis (in Mediaeval Sciences), Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, 1951, 274 typewriter pages. Prix de la Province de Québec, 1952 *''Les débuts de l'historiographie chrétienne: ses origines, son esprit, ses méthodes'', Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, 1950, 274 p. *''L'histoire dans l'Antiquité'', preface by
Henri-Irénée Marrou Henri-Irénée Marrou (; 12 November 1904 in Marseilles – 11 April 1977 in Bourg-la-Reine) was a French historian. A Christian humanist in outlook, his work was primarily in the spheres of Late Antiquity and the history of education. He is b ...
, Paris, Librairie J. Vrin; Montréal: Institut d'études médiévales, 1951, 252 p. *''Lionel Groulx'', coll. ''Classiques canadiens'', Montréal & Paris, Fides, 1967. 96 p. ;Publications on popular religions *''Les religions populaires'', Colloque 1970, (1972) Benoît Lacroix & Pietro Boglioni, 154 p. *''Les pèlerinages au Québec'', Pietro Boglioni & Benoit Lacroix, Les Presse de l'Université Laval, Quebec, 1981, 160 p. *''La Religion de mon père'', Benoît Lacroix, Bellarmin, Montreal (1986), 306 p. *''La Foi de ma mère'', Benoît Lacroix, Bellarmin, Montreal (1999), 558 p. *''Religion populaire au Québec. Typologie des sources: bibliographie sélective (1900-1980)'', Benoit Lacroix & Madeleine Grammont, Preface by Jean Simard, Éditions de l'Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture (IQRC) (1985), 175 p. *''Fonds Jean Simard'', Benoit Lacroix & Jean Simard, Éditions de l'Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture (IQRC) (1984), 444 p. ;Publications on spirituality *''Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux et l'histoire de son âme'', Michel de Ladurantaye, a pen name of Benoît Lacroix, éd du Lévrier, Montreal and Ottawa, 1947, 155 p. *''Compagnon de Dieu'', éd. du Lévrier, Montreal, 1961, 365 p. *''Le Rwanda: mille heures au pays des mille collines'', éd. du Lévrier, Montreal, 1966, 96 p. *''Folklore de la mer et religion'', coll. ''Connaissance'', Leméac, Montreal, 1980, 119 p. *''Célébration des saisons'', coedition Anne Sigier et Centre Alpec, Quebec, 1981, 140 p. *''Silence'', with illustrations by Chantal Lévesque, éd. du Silence, Montreal, 1989 *''Paroles à des religieuses'', Fides, Montreal, 1985, 254 p. *''Musée des religions de Nicolet'', in collaboration with Michel Lessard, Catherine Elbaz, Anne MacLaren & Jean Sunard, Montreal, 1986, 431 p. *''Nous sommes un peuple en marche: carnet d'Avent 1986'' ''Vie liturgique'', Quebec, 1986, 64 p. *''Dieu fait les premiers pas: carnet du Carême 1991'', ''Vie liturgique'', Quebec, 1988, 64 p. *''Dieu qui nous appelle à vivre: carnet du Carême 1988'', ''Vie liturgique'', 1988, 64 p. *''Jeunes et croyants'', éd. Paulines et Médiaspaul, Montreal, 1991, 93 p. *''Célébration des âges et des saisons'', éd. Anne Sigier, Quebec, 1993, 149 p. *''Amour'', éd. du Silence, Montreal, 1995


References


External links


Fonds d’archives Benoît Lacroix (Cote : CLG61)

Fonds d'archives du Centre d'études des religions populaires (Cote : CLG57)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacroix, Benoit 1915 births 2016 deaths Canadian Roman Catholic theologians Canadian philosophers Canadian Dominicans Officers of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec Canadian centenarians University of Caen Normandy faculty Université de Montréal faculty Kyoto University faculty Men centenarians