Alexis André

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Alexis André OMI (born July 6, 1832 in Kergompez near Guipavas , Brittany , † January 10, 1893 in Calgary , Northwest Territories ) was a Roman Catholic priest and missionary who worked in western Canada .

biography

Alexis André attended the boys' seminary in Pont-Croix from October 1851 to August 1856 , and then the seminary in Quimper . On February 15, 1859, he entered the novitiate of the Oblates of the Immaculate Virgin Mary in Nancy . A year later he took his religious vows . He was ordained a priest on July 14, 1861 , after which he was posted to the Red River Colony and the Dakota Territory .

Arrived in North America, André devoted himself mainly to the pastoral care of the Cree and the Métis , working mainly in St. Albert and Batoche . Together with George Arthur French of the North-West Mounted Police , he called on the Canadian federal government to issue stricter hunting regulations to prevent the bison from becoming extinct. In 1876 André celebrated the first mass in Prince Albert , three years later he founded the St. George mission station there. He appeared on various occasions as a mediator between the Métis and the Canadian federal government.

Due to various unresolved grievances, Métis representatives asked Louis Riel , who was living in exile, in the summer of 1884 to return to Canadian territory and represent their concerns. Aided by Riel's messianic zeal, there was a break with the church authorities and André was accused of being in the pay of the government. Riel asked André on March 2, 1885 to support the formation of a provisional government, which he refused.

In the same month the Northwest Rebellion began , during which the Métis initially recorded some successes. Government forces crushed the uprising after two months and arrested Riel. During his imprisonment in Regina , Riel appointed André as his spiritual advisor. Pastoral care continued until his execution on November 16, 1885.

In 1892 Andrés health began to deteriorate. He died on January 10, 1893 and was buried in Calgary. His remains were later transferred to the Oblate Cemetery in St. Albert.

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personal data
SURNAME André, Alexis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman Catholic priest and missionary
DATE OF BIRTH July 6, 1832
PLACE OF BIRTH Kergompez at Guipavas
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 1893
Place of death Calgary