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.
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