- April 21, 2026
- News
Author: haton
The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada (AJC) is seeking a candidate for the position of Project Archivist, under the Young Canada Works Program. This is a 24-week position projected to begin on September 21, 2026, and run through March 19, 2027. The AJC is located in Montreal, Quebec. The internship will be on-site, at Maison Bellarmin, in Montreal. The hourly wage for the internship is $23.00 (35 hours per week; 24-week project; unpaid statutory holidays and 10–12-day seasonal break in December/early January).
The AJC provides an access point to its collections, as well as resources about the history of the Jesuits in Canada. It supports the research of members of the Jesuit community, genealogists, academic researchers, Indigenous researchers, artists, and students from a variety of disciplines. The archival collection holds more than 1.5 km of textual records, more than 500,000 photographs, more than a thousand maps and cartographic material, hundreds of audio-visual records, as well as born-digital records.
The main objective of the project is to do research in the AJC collection and select records to be digitized. This will involve navigating through different fonds and collections, and identify pertinent records for digitization, related to Onkwehón:we materials. Several fonds and collections related to Haudenosaunee communities have been partially reprocessed over the last few years. A next phase would be the selection of records to be digitized, and their digitization, in order to facilitate access to a diversity of archival materials about Onkwehón:we communities. The digitization process will concern mostly textual records, but some photographs and other materials will also be targeted. The scanning of these records will be important for Onkwehón:we research partners who are already doing research in our archival collection.
The materials to be digitized will mostly come from the Fonds Mission Saint-François-Xavier, which includes 1.23 metres of textual records, and 92 photographs. The textual records were mostly created between 1800 and 1900, but other records, such as photographs, were created in the last part of the 20th century. It contains information about the relations between Jesuit priests and the Kahnawà:ke community, as well as administrative records related to the activities of the mission. The intern will contribute to the description of the records included in the fonds by identifying key areas that require enhanced context. The fonds has been described on the fonds and series level, but some areas need to be described more thoroughly on the file level. If applicable, some records will even be described at the item level. The project will then consist of doing research to evaluate which areas need to be described in more detail to render them more accessible to researchers. The project thus requires an assessment of the records and the selection of materials for digitization.
The second phase of the project will require more extensive research to identify pertinent Onkwehón:we records, across a diversity of fonds and collections. These will include personal fonds of Jesuit priests who had been active in Kahnawà:ke and Ahkwesáhsne. In addition, research will be undertaken in a special collection about New France that also holds Onkwehón:we records, related to Kanien’kehá:ka and Wendat communities. The project will then involve the digitization of these selected records.
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
The AJC are engaged in a process of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The AJC supports Indigenous resurgence. The selected candidate will need to demonstrate an understanding of the main challenges regarding archival concepts and practices. The candidate must be familiar with the principles stated in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce of the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives as well as demonstrating a knowledge of national and international strategic orientations and principles concerning Indigenous peoples and associated archival records.
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES
- Recently graduated. University-level education in Archival/Information studies or a related field with a demonstrated interest in archival theory and practice; with preference for candidates with a master’s degree in Information studies with a specialization in Archival studies;
- Demonstrated ability in the use of collections management tools and the Rules of Archival Description (RAD);
- Interest in digital archives, including digitization practices and processes;
- Ability to communicate information to small and large groups;
- Oral and written fluency in English, with a working knowledge of French, is required;
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team on collaborative initiatives;
- Ability to develop objectives and to implement procedures.
The material to be processed is in English, French, Kanien’kéha, and some records are in Wendat. The selected candidate will need to be able to write in both French and English, as the documentation and the finding aids that concern the project is in French and English. The working environment of the AJC is in French. Operational activities are delivered in French, English, or both, depending upon the researcher, the initiative, and the intended audience. The selected candidate will need to be comfortable working in a bilingual environment.
The position is in Montreal, Quebec, a city with a diverse population. It is an urban environment with a significant number of universities and cultural institutions.
Preference will be given to Indigenous candidates.
Candidates from the Government of Canada’s job equity groups are encouraged to apply / Les candidat.e.s visé.e.s par l’équité en matière d’emploi du Gouvernement du Canada sont invité.e.s à postuler.
The deadline for applications is May 15, 2026.
To find more information about the AJC, please visit our website: https://archivesjesuites.ca/
The candidates must be eligible to the Young Canada Works Program.
Applications, which must include a letter of interest and a curriculum vitae in one Word of PDF file, should be sent to François Dansereau, Director of The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada: CANAJCdirection@jesuites.org.
We thank all applicants for their interest in this position. Only those selected for the short list will be contacted for an interview. Personal information received from prospective candidates will be used only for this recruitment process.
The AJC is happy to announce that Noah MacDonald is the recipient of the Indigenous Research Grant!
Noah is an Anishinaabe PhD student and canon lawyer belonging to Michipicoten First Nation. Upon completing his Juris Canonici Licentiatus at Saint Paul University in 2020, he became the first Indigenous canon lawyer in Canada and continues to serve the Archdiocese of Toronto as an ecclesiastical judge. Since 2023, he has been pursuing a PhD in Theological Studies at Regis College (University of Toronto). His doctoral research aims to explore Anishinaabe Catholic expressions of faith and self-determination. He has recently published in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies on the topic of Jesuit-Anishinaabe relationality and in The Conversation on issues of reconciliation within Catholic school boards. He remains dedicated to advocating for the rights and agency of Indigenous Catholics through his work with the Our Lady of Guadeloupe Circle and the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre.
by Brenna Roblin
During the recent processing of the Indigenous Language Collection (2015-0015), we came across several texts containing stamps from the libraries of the former school in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and the Spanish Residential School, in Spanish, Ontario. The following examples offer a glimpse at the collection’s materials and its connection to these schools.
The Wiikwemkoong Industrial School was founded by the Jesuits in 1878 and would operate on Manitoulin Island until 1913. In 1894, the Industrial School was integrated into the educational system managed by the Department of Indian Affairs. The school would be succeeded by St. Peter Claver School (1913-1946) and Garnier College (1946-1958), commonly referred to as the Spanish Residential Schools.
Many of the records in the Indigenous Language Collection are religious in nature, from hymns to books of prayers. Interestingly, several Anishinaabemowin hymnal booklets from the collection were printed locally in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and stamped by the Industrial School library. Considering the original number of copies in the collection, these booklets may have been dispersed widely throughout the school community.
Ga Iji-Ganonindiwad Ningoting Bejig Eiad Anama-
kamig Gaie Bejib Ogidakamig hymnals, [19-?].
2016-0015.S2.2.17.1_01
Niina Aiamie-Masinaigan (1898) is the second printing of a book of prayers and hymns that features an Anishinaabemowin-French title page. Authored by the Oblates and first published in Montreal in 1866, this text testifies to the francophone presence among Anishinaabemowin-speaking communities in Northern Ontario.
Until 1924, Spanish was under the administration of the Jesuit Province of Canada with headquarters in Montreal. During this period, most of the Jesuits posted at the school were francophones, many of whom learned to speak Anishinaabemowin and other Indigenous languages. The demographics of Jesuits who formed part of the Northern Ontario Missions would gradually shift in the twentieth century, becoming predominantly anglophone.
In an Anishinaabemowin prayer book, entitled Shahguhnahshe Ahnuhmeähwine Muzzeneëgun (1889), traces of students can be seen in the margins. With pencil and crayon, children appear to have inscribed their own names, birthdays, and other personal details. Many of the students who attended the Spanish Residential Schools came from local reserves, while some were from as far away as the communities of Ahkwesáhsne, Kahnawà:ke, and Kanehsatà:ke.
Language learning resources, like the Anishinaabemowin dictionary by Father Martin Férard, S.J., form a significant part of the collection. Férard dedicated many years to composing the Dictionnaire Français-Ojibwe, completing it shortly before his death in 1891.
Manuscript of the dictionary by Martin Férard, S.J., with defin-
itions in English, [18-]. 2016-0015.S1.2.3.2_45-46
A bound manuscript of this text (pictured above) containing Spanish Residential School stamps is found in the collection alongside Férard’s notes and several transcriptions.
Finally, a stamped copy of Lexique de la langue algonquienne can be found in the collection. Written by Sulpician priest J.A. Cuoq, this well-known lexicon of Algonquian languages was published in Montreal in 1886. In contrast to the previous examples, Lexique de la langue algonquienne bears a stamp from St. Peter Claver School, the residential school which opened in Spanish, Ontario in 1913.
To consult the Indigenous Languages Collection, please visit our catalogue: https://catalogue.archivesjesuites.ca/northern-ontario-indigenous-languages-collection
Sources:
Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies (1991). Dictionary of Jesuit Biography: Ministry to English Canada 1842-1987.
Monet, J. (Dir.). (2015). Builders of a Nation: Jesuits in English Canada 1842-2013. (Vol. 2). Novalis Publishing Inc.
Shanahan, D. F. (2004). The Jesuit Residential School at Spanish: “More Than Mere Talent”. Canadian Institute of Jesuit Studies.
Please join the Toronto Jesuit History Research Group on Friday, November 14th, 2025 (1:00–3:00pm ET) for a talk entitled “Hiding in Plain Sight: Open Secrets About the Jesuit Relations from New France,” by Micah True. Professor True is the author of the recently published monograph, The Jesuit Relations: A Biography.
See the attached poster for further details.
The Archives of the Jesuits in Canada is happy to announce the inaugural Indigenous Research Grant. The grant was created to support research on Indigenous topics and by Indigenous students. Preference will be given to Indigenous students.
Amount: CAD 2,500
Deadline: December 1, 2025
Full details are available below. If you have any questions, please write to the AJC at canarchives@jesuites.org or give us a call at 514-387-2541, ext. 318.
Dr. Fannie Dionne and Patricia Prost
15 June 1625. After weeks of sailing across the North Atlantic, the first Jesuits disembarked in Quebec. Fathers Ennemond Massé, Charles Lalemant, and Jean de Brébeuf, accompanied by two brothers, discovered the small town with, among other things, a fort, several houses, and a Recollet convent. That was 400 years ago.
The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada (AJC) contains few traces of this arrival and the early years of Brébeuf and his confreres’ mission. In fact, the records of the Society of Jesus that date from this period, scattered between 1800 and 1842, have only been partially recovered. Among the pieces that allow us to dive back into the period is a map dating back to 1685. The map highlights the presence of the Jesuits and another male religious order: the Recollets.
Recollets and Jesuits 400 years ago
The Jesuits landed in Quebec in 1625, but it was not Fr. Massé’s first transatlantic journey. He had been a missionary in Acadia between 1611 et 1613 before he had to return to France, where he shared the story of his stay with Indigenous peoples. His experience inspired other members of the Society of Jesus and helped set in motion the wheels that would lead to the Jesuit order returning to the French colony.
According to historian Éric Thierry, accounts from the Acadian mission motivated influential Jesuits, such as Fr. Jean de la Bretesche (a relative of the Duke of Ventadour and Cardinal François of La Rochefoucauld) to work behind the scenes to have members of the Society of Jesus sent to Quebec, where Recollet missionaries had been working since 1615.
Although the Recollet had not planned to share their mission with Ignatius of Loyola’s disciplines, they had no choice but to accept their presence once they were faced with a fait accompli. Those in Quebec welcomed the Jesuits to their convent upon their arrival, until the new missionaries could build their first home on the lands of the Notre-Dames-des-Anges seigneury, located on the site of the present-day Cartier-Brébeuf park in the Limoilou neighbourhood. During this period, in collaboration with the Recollets, the Jesuits worked with French Catholics, celebrating mass and feast days, in addition to beginning the first missions in Indigenous communities. As a result, as early as October 1625, Brébeuf departed to spend the winter with the Innu before being sent to the Wendat in 1626 with Fr. Anne de Nouë and the Recollet priest, Joseph de la Roche Daillon.
In 1629, the capture of Quebec by the English forced all religious orders to return to Europe, putting a temporary end to the mission.
The new growth of the Jesuit Mission in Quebec
In 1632, the British returned what was known as “New France” to the French. That same year, the Jesuits were the only religious order that returned to the French colony. Their apostolate then extended across several areas and thousands of kilometers. While many aspects of these missions are not apparent from Villeneuve’s bird’s-eye view of Quebec, this perspective highlights services rendered by the Jesuits to the population in a location close to the colony’s government.
For instance, the Jesuits founded their college in 1635, where they offered the classical course as it was taught in Jesuit colleges in France. The sciences were not neglected as, beginning in 1708, a hydrography course and training courses for pilots and surveyors in the colony were added. The college also housed an important library and an apothecary.
The importance of the Jesuit presence in Quebec is reflected in cartography from that period. Drawn to scale and rich in details, the Plan de la ville et chasteau de Quebec, fait en 1685 mezurée exactement [Map of the city and castle of Quebec made in 1685, exact measurements] enables us to see the location and configuration of the college’s stone buildings that began to replace the first wooden structures in 1648. The Recollets, who returned to the colony in 1670, were present in Villeneuve’s drawing, but at the margins of the map.
This map is the work of engineer and cartographer Robert de Villeneuve. Sent to New France in 1685, he created the map for military purposes, with a view to fortifying the city. We do not know the provenance of this copy of the Villeneuve map. We do know that it was part of the collection of the Jesuit residence on Dauphine Street in Quebec City. It was exhibited in 2012-2013 at the National Museum of the Fine Arts in Quebec, as part of the exhibition entitled Les Arts en Nouvelle-France [The Arts in New France]. Another, even more detailed copy is held by Archives nationales d’outre-mer [The National Overseas Archives] in France, in the Fortification of the Colonies repository.
Villeneuve’s work shows the three wings of the building arranged around a central courtyard. They house both the college and the Jesuit residence. The map also shows the adjoining church, whose construction began in 1666. We can see large gardens and a small stream that ran through the property, as well as a mill below, near the current Côte de la Fabrique.
The AJC holds another original document that attests to the scale and importance of this architectural complex. In 1653, Governor Jean de Lauson ordered the Jesuits to fortify their building so that residents could take refuge there in the event of an attack:
“And since Quebec City is completely open and defenseless, the house of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers is the only place capable of sheltering a large number of people and families in such an event […], we have asked the said Jesuit Fathers to fortify their house in Quebec, to build gun ports and projections to flank it so that it can be defended against enemy attacks, and even to have stone throwers and other small pieces of artillery to defend it.”
Permission de fortifier la maison de Quebec, 10 août 1653. [Permission to fortify the house in Quebec, 10 August 1653.] AJC, Q-1.220.
Villeneuve’s plan gives us an idea of how large buildings in this period have shifted over time and in different ways. For instance, the facade of the complex inhabitant by the Jesuits overlooked what is now the Rue des Jardins in Old Quebec, opposite what was then the Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance church, now occupied by the Notre-Dame de Quebec cathedral. The Jesuit college changed significantly as well, since it was demolished at the end of the 1870s after having served, among other things, as a military depot and barracks following the seizure of Jesuit property by the British government after their conquest of New France. This site is now occupied by Quebec’s city hall, where the former pediment of the Jesuit college is still prominently displayed.
References
Galarneau, C. (2015). Collège des Jésuites. Dans l’Encyclopédie canadienne. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/fr/article/college-des-jesuites
Ministère de la Culture et des Communications. Plaque du Collège des jésuites. Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Quebec. https://www.patrimoine-culturel.gouv.qc.ca/rpcq/detail.do?methode=consulter&id=99399&type=bien
Morisset, G. (2003). Villeneuve, Robert de. Dans Dictionnaire biographique du Canada. https://www.biographi.ca/fr/bio/villeneuve_robert_de_1F.html
Ouellet, J. (19 novembre 2015). L’ancien Collège des jésuites (1825). Vues anciennes de Quebec. https://histoireurbaine.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/lancien-college-des-jesuites-1825/#_ftnref9
Labrecque, P. (2006). Historique. Ville de Quebec. Répertoire du patrimoine bâti. Fiche d’un bâtiment patrimonial. Hôtel de ville de Quebec. https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/patrimoine/bati/fiche.aspx?fiche=6180
Lumbroso, S. (2023). « Recollets contre jésuites, entretien avec Éric Thierry ». Revue d’histoire de la Nouvelle-France, (3), 54–55.
Palomino, J.-F. (2012). Pratiques cartographiques en Nouvelle-France : la prise en charge de l’État dans la description de son espace colonial à l’orée du xviiie siècle. Lumen, 31, 21-39. https://doi.org/10.7202/1013065ar
Turcotte, G. et al. (avril-mai-juin 2008). La présence jésuite à Quebec du 17e siècle à nos jours. Le Brigand, (494), p. 10-12. Une version de cet article est disponible en ligne : https://www.chapelledesjesuites.ca/un-peu-dhistoire/la-presence-des-jesuites-a-quebec-du-17eme-siecle-a-nos-jours/
Ville de Quebec (s. d.). Histoire du Collège des jésuites. Patrimoine. L’archéologie à Quebec. https://archeologie.ville.quebec.qc.ca/sites/college-des-jesuites/histoire-du-college-des-jesuites/
When the Jesuits returned to Canada at the start of the 1840s, they responded to an invitation from the Bishop of Montreal, Mgr Bourget, who dreamed of a new college that would serve the city’s Catholic population. Education, in fact, is a fundamental mission and age-old area of expertise for the Society of Jesus. As the new school year begins, we have decided to share with you some stories unearthed from the archives of the colleges founded by the Jesuits.
GLC C-6.S6.4.119.1
In the early 1940s, during the Second World War, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf welcomed prestigious guests from among the European nobility.
In May 1940, the Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and her husband, Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma, fled the invasion of their country by German forces. After several displacements in Europe, they found refuge in Quebec, as did the Luxembourg government-in-exile. The family first resided in the former seigneurial manor of Saint-Henri of Mascouche, before finally settling in Montreal. Their son, Charles of Luxembourg, joined his cousins, Jacques, Michel, and André of Bourbon-Parma, sons of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and of Princess Marguerite of Denmark, who attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. For the young exiles, the Jesuit college offered the advantage of an education that was both French and Catholic.
In the college prefect’s diarium—a journal in which the Jesuits recorded the events of the day—their names appear on a list of foreign students, alongside Barons Van der Elst and Léon and Philippe Lambert of Belgium, Count Charles of Chambrun of France, et Viscounts Martel and Romano Obert of Thieusies. Other cousins of Charles, including the children of the former empress of Austria, Zita of Bourbon-Parma, who had been in exile since the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire, also attended educational establishments in the province of Quebec: Université Laval, Collège Jesus-Marie of Sillery, Collège Saint-Charles-Garnier in Quebec City, and Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague boarding school.
An object of curiosity for the students and staff of the college, Charles of Luxembourg featured on the front page of the October 30, 1940 edition of Brébeuf, the school newspaper. In an article from the October 6, 1941 edition, he recounts his hurried departure from Brussels—where he was staying with his aunt Zita—during the German army’s invasion of Belgium in May 1940. He then narrates his incredible journey across Europe and his family’s departure for America abroad the USS Cruiser Trenton at the invitation of President Roosevelt, who also welcomed them to Washington for dinner. He also describes the emotion of his first meeting with his classmates, and evokes nostalgic memories of his country.
Brébeuf newspaper, 30 October 1940 and 6 October, 1941. GLC C-6.S7.SS5.2.1.2.61, 69.
The prefect’s diarium also contains several newspaper clippings recounting the circumstances surrounding the exile of the grand ducal family and the Luxembourg government to Canada. Collected and assembled in the style of a scrapbook, the diarium also includes more unusual items that testify to the interest generated by the presence of the distinguished guests, such as envelopes addressed to Princes Michel, André, and Jacques of Bourbon-Parma, and a telegram sent to the college by Baronness Lambert (Johanna of Reininghaus) regarding her childrens’ luggage.
Prefect’s diarium, September 1931-July 1945. GLC C-6.S1.SS6.2.3.2.
Under January 8, 1942, an inscription mentions the definitive departure of Princes Michel and André of Bourbon-Parma, and the return of Barons Léon and Philippe Lambert to New York after an illness. Charles attended the college until 1943, where he took his classes in French Elements, Latin Elements, and Syntax.
External Sources
Bernier Arcand, P. (2022). Les Bourbon-Parme dans les institutions d’enseignement du Québec. Histoire Québec, 28 (1), 24-28.
Bernier Arcand, P. (2010). L’exil québécois du gouvernement du Luxembourg. Histoire Québec, 15 (3), 19-26.
Gallery
Join us on June 5, 2025 for our new exhibit on pilgrimage and pilgrimage reports in Canadian Jesuit tradition. More information and registration link below.
Registration: https://forms.gle/v9VqRCCFm57fdZvk8
Questions? Write to CANarchives@jesuites.org or call 514-387-2541, ext. 318.