Becoming Holy in Early Canada : Performance and the Making of Holy Persons in Society and Culture

Pearson, Timothy G.

From the author: "In this dissertation, I analyze how local religious figures became holy and the social functions they played, in order to better understand the connections between religion and colonialism and the shaping of faith communities over time. The study covers a broad time period from the early days of French settlement in Canada to the late nineteenth century. The focus falls on New France and the holy persons associated with the early years of settlement when religion and colonization were intimately connected. It was only towards the end of the nineteenth century that these figures were put forward for official recognition by the church in canonization causes, and consequently I conclude the study with an examination of the processes and resulting documents that contributed to the transformation of local holy persons into saints. Throughout the study, I concentrate on the place holy persons occupied in local society both during life and after death as intercessors for the faithful, the meanings they held and presented to their audiences, and the ways they performed the traditions of sanctity. Rituals of holiness were a form of communication. Holy persons and audiences interacted with and influenced one another to create a saint that was efficacious and effective. While faith communities developed around local, family and community networks, hagiographic texts described the lives, deaths and intercessions of select individuals and spread cults of belief. Between performances of holiness and the inscription of holy lives into texts, local saints were made who responded to the needs of their faith communities and became important parts of local religious, social, and cultural life."

Montréal, Québec

2008

en

Thesis/Dissertation

316104083;286063547

1600-1880; New France; Canada