{"id":1128,"date":"2024-10-02T14:30:19","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T14:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archivesjesuites.ca\/en\/?p=1128"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:35:29","slug":"college-jean-de-brebeuf-and-the-great-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archivesjesuites.ca\/en\/college-jean-de-brebeuf-and-the-great-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"Coll\u00e8ge Jean-de-Br\u00e9beuf and the Great Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Coll\u00e8ge Jean-de-Br\u00e9beuf [194-?]. GLC C-6.103.19.1<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 24, 1929, the New York Stock Exchange crash marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Throughout the 1930s, the crisis spread throughout the world, and Quebec did not escape from the storm. The Coll\u00e8ge Jean-de-Br\u00e9beuf–founded barely a year earlier–was not exception, as evidenced by the traces left by the crisis in archival records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns about the crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the consulte of September 3, 1932, reading financial statements provided an opportunity to take stock of the first four years of the College’s activities. As far as spending was concerned, prudence was the word:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Fr. Minister finds this severity reasonable, given the Coll\u00e8ge’s enormous debt, the economic crisis that could be prolonged, the expenses incurred to make the College appealing, and also given the prospect of constructing the academic hall, which could only be undertaken after a signiticant reduction in debt.<\/p>\nConsultation Registre, 3 September 1932. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Coll\u00e8ge Jean-de-Br\u00e9beuf Consultation Registre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consulte was a body usually made up of three or four experienced members of the Jesuit staff, charged with advising the rector on various matters relating to running the College. From 1928 to 1968, the consultors met with varying frequency–about once or twice a month during the school year–and the minutes from these meetings were recorded in a large registre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, they discussed the management of material resources, as well as legal, pedagogical, and disciplinary issues. Between March and July 1934, however, the consultants were mainly preoccupied by financial issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Consultation Registre, 1928-1968. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Consultation Registre, 2 March to 6 July 1934. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On June 3, 1934, concern was expressed about the decline in attendance at the College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The decrease in the number of students, along with the arrears, complicates the problem of our finances. What can be done to attract students or to avoid losing those who do show up? — Obviously, the high cost of boarding scares off some parents, would it be appropriate to cut our prices?<\/p>\nConsultation Registre, 3 June 1934. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Impacts on the daily life on the College’s students and Jesuit community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To guard against the crisis, the consulters proposed various solutions. On January 19, 1932, the registre reports a decision by the consulte to lighten the budget. There are no small savings and the sacrifices involve going without soft drinks\u2026 and ketchup!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"2.-
Consultation Registre, 19 January 1932. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 2, 1933, for similar reasons, the consultors opposed the installation of a new furnace to provide hot water during the vacation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Is it worth installing a new furnace to supply hot water for vacations? Again, for the purposes of saving, all declared themselves against the installation. We will keep using the steam furnace for the duration of the housekeeping period, until around July 15, and then we will content ourselves with the small furnace installed near the residence elevator.<\/p>\nConsultation Registre, 2 March 1933. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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If these measures concerned first and foremost all members of the Jesuit community, others also had an impact on students’ lives. On June 1, 1933, for example, the consultors proposed that, due to the economic crisis, the award ceremony for sports, which aimed to honor the athletic achievements of students, should be eliminated. Just a few months earlier, on March 2, 1933, the consultors questioned, due to economic worries, the importance of printing the Palmar\u00e8s<\/em>, an annual publication that listed the winners of prizes awarded to deserving students. On November 1, 1934, the expenses linked to the conventum of Rhetoric students were called into question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[\u2026] portraits, rings, banquets, we would like to lower these costs. The portrait and the banquet are authorised by custom, rings less so [\u2026]. <\/p>\nConsultation Registre, 1 November 1934. GLC C-6.S1.SS4.2.1.1.1<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Prosperity returns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consequences of the crisis went beyond quotidian inconveniences and delayed projects to expand the college. Indeed, despite the vagaries of the crisis, attendance remained high and the need for additional facilities, including an academic hall, a larger library, and a gymnasium, became apparent in the early years. However, thanks to post-war prosperity and a major fundraising campaign led by the Coll\u00e8ge, it was not until 1956 that the first step towards this goal was taken with the start of construction work on a new annex, the Pavillon Lalemant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Promotional brochure for the fundraising campaign to build the Lalemant pavilion, 1955.
GLC C-6.S3.SS2.2.2.2.3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The AJC holds the Coll\u00e8ge Jean-de-Br\u00e9beuf fonds, from its foundation by the Society of Jesus in 1928 to the ceding to a secular corporation in 1986. To read more, please consult our catalogue<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Jesuits returned to Canada at the start of the 1840s, they responded to an invitation from the Bishop … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nColl\u00e8ge Jean-de-Br\u00e9beuf and the Great Depression | The Archive of the Jesuits in Canada<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The latest news from the Archive of the Jesuits in Canada. 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