Joseph Blain

Marie-Joseph-Théophile Blain
Joseph Blain
Born	1859-10-30 Saint-Rémi, Lower Canada
Died	1925-09-18 Sault-au-Récollet, Montreal, Quebec
Occupation	Roman Catholic priest, Jesuit, teacher, astronomer
Father	Théophile Blain
Mother	Apolline Martin

Marie-Joseph-Théophile Blain ((1859-10-30)30 October 1859 – 18 September 1925(1925-09-18) (aged 65)), known as Joseph Blain, was a Jesuit priest, teacher, and scientist who spent most of his career at Collège de Saint-Boniface in Manitoba. He made significant contributions to the history of western Canada through his involvement in the rediscovery of Fort Saint-Charles and the establishment of the first seismographic observatory in western Canada.

Early life and education

Blain was born on 30 October 1859 in Saint-Rémi (then Saint-Rémi-de-La Salle), Lower Canada, the son of Théophile Blain, a farmer, and Apolline Martin. He pursued his classical studies at Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal from 1870 to 1878, then entered the Jesuit noviciate at Sault-au-Récollet on 30 July 1878 and took his first vows in 1880. After completing philosophical studies, he attended Stonyhurst College in England from 1882 to 1885.

Career in western Canada

In 1885 Blain was among the first Jesuits assigned to the newly established Collège de Saint-Boniface in Manitoba, appointed at the direction of Archbishop Alexandre-Antonin Taché. He taught there until 1889, when he left for theological studies on the island of Jersey under Parisian Jesuits, completing his formation at Scolasticat de l'Immaculée-Conception in Montreal from 1893 to 1894. He was ordained to the priesthood on 3 September 1893 in Montreal by Archbishop Édouard-Charles Fabre.

After a year of tertianship at Sault-au-Récollet (1894–1895), Blain taught philosophy at Scolasticat de l'Immaculée-Conception until 1898. He then returned to Saint-Boniface as prefect of studies and instructor in natural sciences, where he undertook a substantial reform of the science curriculum and established well-equipped laboratory facilities. In Winnipeg and Saint-Boniface he also delivered public lectures on literary, religious, and scientific subjects, and he composed occasional verse in both French and Latin. His outlook combined scientific rigour with a committed French-Canadian nationalist perspective, captured in his 1916 maxim that language was the guardian of faith and faith the guardian of language.

Fort Saint-Charles and historical work

Blain participated in efforts to locate Fort Saint-Charles, the eighteenth-century post established by La Vérendrye on Lake of the Woods. A first expedition in 1890 yielded no results. A second attempt in 1902, led by Archbishop Adélard Langevin, led directly to the founding of the Société Historique de Saint-Boniface, of which Blain was a charter member.

The successful rediscovery came during the summer expeditions of 1908, when the fort site was identified and the remains of Jean-Baptiste Gaultier de La Vérendrye and his companions — including the Jesuit priest Jean-Pierre Aulneau, killed in 1736 — were recovered. Blain photographed the discoveries and, alongside Father Julien Paquin, lectured on the findings at the cathedral blessing ceremony that year.

Seismography and astronomy

In 1908 Blain was elected a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and presented several papers to that body. That same year he installed western Canada's first seismograph at Collège de Saint-Boniface and directed the institution's seismographic observatory for over a decade, until the observatory was destroyed in the college fire of 1922.

Fort William

In 1911 Blain spent a year of rest in Fort William, Ontario (present-day Thunder Bay). During this period he and Father Gustave Jean negotiated the founding of a new Jesuit institution in Alberta, the Collège d'Edmonton, which began enrolling students in 1913.

Later career

Blain returned to Collège de Saint-Boniface after his Fort William stay, teaching there until 1920. He then moved to Collège d'Edmonton, where he taught philosophy until 1925. The University of Manitoba awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1922. He was also involved in debates over educational policy: he represented Collège de Saint-Boniface on the University of Manitoba commission convened in 1914 to discuss the relationship between classical colleges and the university, and he was a vocal defender of classical French-language colleges after the 1916 amendments to Manitoba's Public Schools Act eliminated bilingual instruction in provincial public schools.

Death

Blain returned to the Jesuit noviciate at Sault-au-Récollet shortly before his death on 18 September 1925.

References

Sources consulted:

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography