Thierry Beschefer, sometimes given as "Theodore" (

Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renam ...

25 March 1630 – Reims 4 February 1711), was a Jesuit missionary and became the superior of the Canadian mission.

Life

Thierry Beschefer was born at Châlons-sur-Marne on 25 May 1630 and entered the

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

at Nancy on 24 May 1647. He studied philosophy and theology at

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mous ...

,¸and taught humanities and rhetoric for seven years at various colleges in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He was ordained in 1661. He returned to

to teach rhetoric and then classics at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

. He made his profession as a Jesuit in August 1664.Campeau, Lucien. "Beschefer, Thierry", ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', vol. 2, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–
/ref> The following year, Beschefer went to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Upon his arrival at

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 ...

, the Jesuit superiors set him to learn the

Huron language Wyandot (sometimes spelled Wandat) is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot people, Wyandot or Wyandotte, descended from the Tionontati. It is considered a sister to the Wendat language, spoken by de ...

. He remained in Quebec for three years. In July 1666, he was part of a delegation sent by Governor

Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy (c. 1596 or 1603 – 1670) was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont (Picardy). Life The Marquis de Tracy first made his name as a reg ...

to the English at New York, but a sudden outbreak of Indian hostilities compelled them to turn back. In 1670–1671, however, he was sent to assist Jean Pierron at a mission among the Mohawks. That assignment proved particularly challenging due to the influence of the Dutch and English traders at

Fort Orange Fort Orange ( nl, Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city of Albany, New York developed at this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearb ...

, who supplied the tribe with liquor. In 1672, Beschefer returned to Quebec, where he performed a variety of functions. He became superior of the Canadian missions in 1680 and retained that office until 1686, when he became prefect the College of Quebec. In 1689, he returned to France, where he acted as procurator of the missions. In 1691, he embarked at

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

for Quebec but had to forego the voyage because of ill health.Corrigan, Michael. "Register of the Clergy Laboring in the Archdiocese of New York", ''Historical Records and Studies'', Vol. 1, United States Catholic Historical Society, 1899 p. 29
/ref> During his stay in Canada, he was the spiritual director of the Ursulines at Quebec, and their annals describe him as "a man of distinguished merit, and a director of great wisdom and experience."
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 14 Jan. 2018 He died in Reims on 4 February 1711 at the age of eighty.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beschefer, Thierry 17th-century Canadian Jesuits 1630 births 1711 deaths Roman Catholic missionaries in Canada Jesuit missionaries in New France 17th-century French Jesuits French Roman Catholic missionaries 18th-century Canadian Jesuits