That was how the Quebecois were for centuries! Instead of meeting and interacting with the ‘rest of Canada’ (back in the day, mostly Scots, English and Irish Protestants), their priests told them not to mix with ‘les maudit anglais’, not to become educated, not to leave Quebec, not to leave the farm, keep tithing (and more) to Mother Church because God loves ornately decorated, golden cathedrals and he would reward them.
That worked until the late 1940s when a number of Vets came back from overseas. There was a great awakening and the vast majority of Quebecois turned against Mother Church and Christianity.Quebec is now the most secular society in all of North America. It suffers the highest suicide rate, addiction rate, you name the negative indices, and it leads the rest of North America by a large extent.
Do I blame the RC Church wholly for this? Not neccessarily however, the RC Church ORGANIZATION in Quebec, I DO blame. They did little to encourage these people. Even today, instead of evangelizing, they take an attitude the the falling away of the faithful ‘is God’s will’.
Very interesting bit of history there! Thanks for sharing that. I had no idea the priests in Quebec told the immigrants to not mingle with the rest of Canada.
My Mom’s maternal side emigrated to Canada from England about the 1860s, settled a few years in Galt and Ingersoll, Ont, spent about 15 years in Fleming and Welwyn, Sask, then briefly in Red Deer, Alta, before finally settling permanently in Creston, BC around 1908.
It seems they were never subjected to those Quebec ideas. I was amazed to learn how much and how frequently them moved and over such long distances.