From the Classroom to the City: Rhetoric in the Jesuit Classical Colleges of Montréal

This lecture is presented by the Société historique de Montréal.

The Jesuits’ return to Canada in 1844 was inherently linked to their expertise in education. Collège Sainte-Marie opened its doors in 1848, followed by Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and Collège Saint-Ignace. Hundreds of young men (and later, a few women), preparing for secular or ecclesiastical careers, attended these Francophone colleges and went through the year of rhetoric.

Learn how the students received training in eloquence, both in class and during extracurricular activities, not simply to ensure academic success but also to make an impact in society.

Lecturers

François Dansereau is the Director of The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada, in addition to lecturing at Université Laval and at McGill University’s School of Information Sciences.

Holding a master’s degree in history and a certificate in records and archives management, Patricia Prost has worked as an archivist at The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada since January 2023, where she is responsible for the processing of archival fonds and collections and managing the AtoM digital platform. She currently sits on the board of directors of the Regroupement des archivistes religieux (RAR).

Fannie Dionne received her doctoral degree at McGill University in 2021 and is now a project historian for the Jesuits of Canada. She specializes in the study of missionary manuscripts in Indigenous languages. She is also an advisor for the Société historique de Montréal.