Louis-François Richer Laflèche
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Louis-François Laflèche, (4 September 1818 – 14 July 1898), was a Catholic bishop of the diocese of Trois-Rivieres, in the province of Quebec, Canada. He was born on September 4, 1818. His family held the secondary surname of Laflèche because their ancestor, Jean Richer, was from an area in France called La Flèche, near Anjou.
Laflèche studied at the Nicolet College from 1831 to 1839. Following his education, he taught classics and science while continuing courses in theology. He was ordained a priest on January 7, 1844. Laflèche educated himself in three Native American languages: Cree, Montagnais, and Anishinaabe. He was the first to reduce the Montagnais language to grammatical form.
In 1844, he headed a mission near the Red River of the North. He joined the famous mission of Ile a la Crosse in 1846. He engaged in a great deal of missionary activity in 1851. In North Dakota, dressed only in a stole, he directed a miraculous defense of 60 Métis against 2,000 Sioux combatants, using a Crucifix. After a siege of two days (July 13 and 14), the Sioux withdrew, convinced that the Great Spirit protected the Métis. Laflèche was also one of the founders of the Vicariate Apostolic of Keewatin.
Pius IX nominated Laflèche to be Bishop of Arath in 1849. However, an illness had left him with in infirmity in his limb, and he asked to be withdrawn from the nomination and be replaced by Mgr. Alexandre Taché. When he returned to Canada in 1856, he taught mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy at Nicolet College. He was appointed president of the college in 1859.
In 1866, Bishop Thomas Cook of Trois-Rivieres selected Laflèche to be his coadjutor. The following year, he was elevated to be head of the diocese of Anthedon. In 1869, he blessed the new church of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade. While attending Vatican Council in 1870, he was appointed bishop of Trois-Rivieres. He gave weekly sermons at the cathedral, often touching upon subjects dealing with political and religious questions of his day. In 1876, he led the Ultramontanism movement in Quebec, with the help of Bishop Ignace Le Bourget. He thus had many disagreements with Bishop Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, who was a liberal.
Bishop Laflèche authored five volumes of pastoral letters and two works concerning religion in the family and a discussion of the encyclical Humanum Genus. In 1885, Leo XIII split his diocese, and he was forced to comply with this action and step down from him post. Following this, he became involved in the Manitoba Schools Question from 1890 to 1896, asking the help of Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau and Wilfrid Laurier. His concern was voiced in the Affari Your encyclical of 1897.
He died on July 12, 1898 at 79 years of age. He had been a priest for 54 years and a bishop for 31 years. In Quebec City, there is a street named Monseigneur-Laflèche in his honor. Boucherville also has a street named after him. The old district of Saint-Maurice-Laflèche is also named in his honor. There is also a Laflèche College near Trois-Rivieres.
