La Salle and the discovery of the great West - North Central ...

1678.] FEMALE INQUISITORS. Illcalled the Sainte Famille, of which Madame Bourdon ]is superior. They meet in the cathedral everyThursday, with closed doors, where they relate toeach other — as they are bound by a vow to do — allthey have learned, whether good or evil, concerningother people, during the week. It is a sort of femaleinquisition, for the benefit of the Jesuits, the secretsof whose friends, it is said, are kept, while no suchdiscretion is observed with regard to persons not oftheir party. 21This Madame Bourdon was the widow of Bourdon, the engineer(see "The Jesuits in North America," 297). If we may creditthe lettersof Marie de lTncarnation, she had married him from areligious motive, in order to charge herself with the care of hismotherless children ; stipulating in advance that he should livewith her, not as a husband, but as a brother. As may be imagined,she was regarded as a most devout and saint-like person.a " II y a dans Quebec une congregation de femmes et de fillesqu'ils [les Jesuites] appellent la sainte famille, dans laquelle on faitvceu sur les Saints Evangiles de dire tout ce qu'on sait de bien et demal des personnes qu'on connoist. La Superieure de cette compagnie s'appelle Madame Bourdon ; une M de -d'Ailleboustest, jecrois, l'assistante et une M de -Charron, la Tresoriere. La Compagnies'assemble tous lesJeudis dans la Cathedrale, a porte fermee, et Ikelles se disent les unes aux autres tout ce qu'elles ont appris. C'estune espece dTnquisition contre toutes les personnes qui ne sont pasunies avec les Jesuites.Ces personnes sont accusees de tenir secretce qu'elles apprennent de mal des personnes de leur party et den'avoir pas la mesme discretion pour les autres." — Memoire surM r -de la Salle.The Madame d'Ailleboust mentioned above was a devotee likeMadame Bourdon, and, in one respect, her history was similar. See" The Jesuits in North America," 360.The association of the Sainte Famille was founded by the JesuitChaumonot at Montreal in 1663. Laval, Bishop of Quebec, afterwardsencouraged its establishment at that place ; and, as Chaumonothimself writes, caused it to be attached to the cathedral.Vie