Jean-Mandé Sigogne

Jean-Mandé Sigogne (6 April 1763 – 9 November 1844) was a French Catholic priest, who moved to Canada after the Revolution and became known for his missionary work among the Acadians of Nova Scotia.

Life

The Acadians who had reestablished themselves in southwestern Nova Scotia in the wake of the Great Upheaval (1755–63) had, at the end of the 18th century, still not succeeded in finding a priest for their community. After many years of frustration, their wishes were granted when a priest was sent to them who was French, relatively young, courageous, prudent and determined. "I have had the good fortune to be able to confess the faith before the people and before the tribunals; and I have endured deprivation of all temporal goods, as well as the loss of my relations, my acquaintances, and my friends. Beyond this I have suffered exile for the faith: for which glory and thankfulness are ever due to God."

Sigogne had been ordained in France in 1787, and named vicar of Manthelan in the diocese of Tours. He worked there for four years before friction with the Republicans (which had become serious in the summer of 1790, and had prompted from Sigogne a sermon condemning the Revolution) forced him to leave the area secretly and move to London in summer 1792. "Indeed I lay now under a double obligation of gratitude to the benevolence of the English People. I had first experienced it, with many French Ecclesiastics, not without admiration, when the terrible and cruel revolution of France forced me to take refuge in England. And I do again on this melancholy occasion for the second time, with no less astonishment for its greatness and as much gratitude as being extended not only towards me, but towards our destitute folks."

He worked with the Acadians for over 45 years, as pastor, as builder of churches and schools, and as a defender of their civil rights. The two great parishes (St. Mary and St. Anne) were composed of scattered small villages linked only by crude paths through the forest, which were often impassable, particularly in winter. The villagers had large families and nearly all their efforts were expended in providing the necessities of life; moments of leisure were infrequent and centred on religious festivals, weddings, and funerals. Their trade and barter with the Caribbean resulted in a continuous influx of alcoholic drink. Sigogne struggled to promote Christian principles among this scattered population, but his efforts were not in vain and were much appreciated by his parishioners.

Sigogne continued his work as parish priest at St Mary's Bay until his death on 9 November 1844 in the sacristy of his church at Pointe-de-l'Église, Nova Scotia. He was 81 years old. A monument in his honour was erected at Clare.

Sigogne and the Acadiens

French original

Les Acadiens ré-établis au sud-ouest de la Nouvelle-Écosse (Canada) à la suite de l'infâme Déportation (1755–1763) n'avaient pas encore réussi, à la fin du 18esiècle, à obtenir un prêtre réellement permanent parmi eux. Le soutien moral et la direction spirituelle relevant de leur religion et de leur prêtre étaient aussi essentiels à leur survie que les besoins matériels. Après plusieurs années d'insatisfaction sur le plan pastoral, ces Acadiens enfin reçoivent le prêtre qu'ils souhaitaient: un prêtre français, relativement jeune, courageux, probe et déterminé. "J'ai eu le bonheur de confesser la foi devant les peuples et les tribunaux et j'ai souffert la perte de tout bien temporel, la privation de mes parents, de mes connaissances, et de mes amis. J'ai de plus souffert l'exil pour la foi, gloire et grâces en soient jamais rendues à Dieu."(1)

The Acadians resettled in the southwest of New Scotland (Canada) after the infamous Deportation (1755 – 1763) had not been able, at the end of the 18th Century, to get near to being permanent among them. The moral situation and ?relevant ?revealing spiritual direction of their religion and of their priest were as important as their material (?worldly) needs. After several years of dissatisfaction with the pastoral plan, these Acadians finally got the priest they wished for: a French priest, relatively young, courageous, ?probing and determined. "I have had the good fortune to hear the faithful confessions coming from the people and tribunals, and I have suffered the loss all worldly things, the poverty of my parents, of my acquaintances, and of my friends. More, I have suffered exile for this faith, yet be it that glory and mercy never stops being given to God."

Ordonné prêtre en France en 1787, Jean Mandé SIGOGNE (né le 6 avril 1763) a aussitôt été nommé vicaire à Manthelan, dans le diocèse de Tours. Pendant quatre ans, il exerce le ministère sacerdotal dans cette paroisse. C'est surtout vers la fin de 1791 qu'ont commencé ses tracas avec les républicains et la Révolution française (voir aussi un sermon de Sigogne sur les maux de la Révolution française). Les convulsions politiques de cette Révolution se sont déclenchées à proprement parler en 1789, mais c'est plutôt à partir de l'été 1790 qu'ont débuté les complications pour le clergé en général et pour Sigogne en particulier. La Constitution civile du clergé fut le principal facteur conduisant aux graves conflits du clergé avec les républicains. Elle visait à subordonner étroitement l'Église catholique romaine à l'État et elle voulait appliquer résolument le principe de la souveraineté de la nation à la désignation des autorités religieuses. Cette Constitution provoquait des conséquences des plus sérieuses au clergé voulant demeurer fidèle à son sacerdoce et témoigner de son attachement à Rome. C'est le cas surtout de Sigogne qui voyait désintégrer les fondements même d'une société catholique où il avait cru jusque-là pouvoir exercer son sacerdoce. Liberté de conscience, droit du citoyen d'adhérer à la religion de son choix, déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen, toutes ces modifications fondamentales à la société française de l'Ancien Régime plongent Sigogne dans un profond conflit non seulement avec lui-même mais encore avec les autorités républicaines. Sur le plan de sa conscience religieuse et sacerdotale, le jeune prêtre ne pouvait plus tolérer l'affront fondamental que lui faisait la Révolution. Fort de ses ardentes convictions à l'endroit de l'Église catholique romaine, il demeure stoïque dans son engagement de baptisé et dans ses promesses sacerdotales de fidélité au pape. Cela lui coûte bien des sacrifices personnels. Il doit abandonner son ministère sacerdotal, sinon clandestinement, et il finit par s'exiler à l'été 1792 à Londres, Angleterre, refuge de quelque milliers d'émigrés français, la plupart ecclésiastiques échappant, comme lui, aux atrocités de la Révolution.

Jean-Mandé Sigogne (6 April 1763 – 1844) was ordained 1787, being already the vicar of Mantelan, in the diocese of Tours. For four more years he ?exercised ?carried out his ministry in this parish. It was only near the end of 1791 that he started to worry about the Republicans and the French Revolution (see also a sermon of his on the evils of the French Revolution). Really the political convulsions of that revolution were already released in 1789, but it was not until the end of summer 1790 that complications started between the clergy in general and Sigogne in particular. The clergy's civil constitution became the principal factor driving deep conflicts between clergy and Republicans. That constitution had seen the Roman Catholic Church subordinating to the State and the constitution resolutely wanted to apply the doctrine of the sovereignty of the State to the ?designation ?selection ? subordination of religious authorities. This Constitution entailed the most serious consequences for the Clergy, who wanted to keep true to their faith and testify their attachment to Rome. It was above all Sigogne's ?case that saw the disintegration of the fundamentals even in a Catholic society where he had known until then he could exercise his sacerdotage. Libery and conscience, the right of the citizen to ?adhere ?follow the religion of his choice, the delaration of human rights and citizen's rights, all these fundamental changes to the French society of the Old Regime (prob. keep as Ancien Régime) plunged Sigogne into deep conflict not only within himself but also with the Republican authorities. In the ?map of his religious and sacerdotal conscience, the young priest could no longer tolerate the fundamental affront that the Revolution had made to him. Strengthened by his ?unflinching convictions about the rights of the Roman Catholic Church, he stoically relinquished his baptism and his sacerdotal promises of fidelity to the Pope. He had to make many personal sacrifices; he abandoned his ministry, albeit secretly, and in the summer of 1792 exiled himself to London, England, the refuge of some millions of French emigrants ?immigrants, mostly ecclesiasts escaping, like himself, from the atrocities of Revolution.

"Indeed I lay now under a double obligation of gratitude to the benevolence of the English People. I had first experienced it, with many French Ecclesiastics, not without admiration, when the terrible and cruel revolution of France forced me to take refuge in England. And I do again on this melancholy occasion for the second time, with no less astonishment for its greatness and as much gratitude as being extended not only towards me, but towards our destitute folks."(2)

Il présageait bien les séquelles tristes et pénibles de cet exil: la séparation de ses ouailles, de ses parents et amis, et de sa patrie bien-aimée, l'incertitude d'un pays étranger, le problème de survie dans un pays où l'exercice du sacerdoce catholique et en langue étrangère était peu prometteur, et quoi encore. Bien que ce pays ait été à plusieurs reprises l'antagoniste obstiné de la France en temps de guerre, il témoigne pourtant d'une hospitalité remarquable envers ces malheureux émigrés. Il fait preuve d'autant de commisération humanitaire qu'il lui était possible dans les circonstances, allant même jusqu'à payer une obole de deux à quatre guinées aux exilés dans le besoin. Dans l'ensemble cela était, cependant, grandement insuffisant pour faire vivre cette masse de réfugiés français qui ne pouvait réellement pas vivre de leur sacerdoce en un pays étranger de religion protestante. En résumé, Sigogne a vécu sept ans en Angleterre d'où il est parti le 16 avril 1799 dans l'espoir de reprendre la pratique de son ministère sacerdotal, cette fois en Acadie (Nouvelle-Écosse). Durant son exil en terre britannique, il s'est adonné à des besognes journalières, à des oeuvres de charité et d'éducation dans la mesure où le lui permettaient les circonstances de l'époque.

This indeed forebode the sad and painful ?consequences of his exile: the separation from his flock, his parents and friends, and his beloved country, the ?uncertainty of a foreign country, the problem of following catholic worship in a strange, unattractive language, and much more. Even though England had remembered the many acts of obstinate antagonism by France in times of war, it offered a remarkable hospitality among these unhappy ?immigrants (perhaps best left as émigrés). He (who? or is this England?) showed all human sympathy that was possible in the circumstances, even going so far as to ?pay a penny of two to four guineas to exiles in need. Even all that, however, was nowhere near enough to cheer up this mass of French refugees who could not actually practice their worship in a foreign country of the protestant religion. In the end, Sigogne spent seven years in England, leaving on 16 April 1799 in the hope of returning to practice his ministry, this time in Acadia (New Scotland). During his exile on British soil, he had immersed himself in everyday work, at works of charity and education as much as he could in the circumstances of the age.

Du côté occidental de l'Atlantique, les Acadiens souffraient encore des séquelles de la Déportation, lancée par les Britanniques en 1755: de nombreuses familles démembrées, tous dépossédés de leurs terres et de tous leurs biens, et environ 10 000 des 14 000 Acadiens expatriés principalement dans les colonies britanniques sur la côte atlantique depuis la Massachusetts jusqu'à la Georgie. À partir de la fin des hostilités, en 1762, la menace que représentaient les Acadiens toujours présents en Nouvelle-Écosse eut tendance à s'atténuer: "Le résidu de cette société désintégrée, [...] soumis à une réglementation appropriée pourrait être transformé en membres utiles de la société,"(3) dit-on. C'est en vertu d'un tel principe que, progressivement, les déportés ont été autorisés à élire à nouveau domicile dans leur ancienne Acadie. Ceux qui échappèrent vivants à la Déportation, ceux qui furent libérés des prisons et ceux qui réussirent à revenir dans leur province natale, tout ce peuple anéanti et abattu tenta de s'établir bon gré mal gré sur les terres moins fertiles des provinces maritimes.

From the west coast of the Atlantic, the Acadians were suffering once again the consequences of the Deportation, launched by the British in 1755: numerous families separated, all dispossessed of their lands and goods, and about 10,000 of 14,000 Acadians emigrated principally from the British Colonies on the Atlantic coast, from Massachhusetts to Georgia. After the end of hostilities, in 1762, the Acadians always showed in New Scotland their tendency to adjust to their circumstances: "The remains of our disintegrated society [...] submits to a regime taken so they can be transformed into useful members of society"(3), he said. By cirtue of this very principle that, progressively, the ?deportees were allowed to find a new home in their old Acadia. Those who escaped the Deportation alive, those who broke out of their prisons and those who dreamed of returning to their motherland, all thse people were born again and abjured the enticements of ?establishing themselves for good or ill on land less fertile than the maritime states.

Ce "grand Dérangement" provoqua des changements irréversibles et marquants chez ce peuple; l'une de ces séquelles fut l'établissement d'un certain nombre d'Acadiens au sud-ouest de la Nouvelle-Écosse. En 1768, Joseph Dugas établit à Grosses Coques (4) les premiers éléments de ce qui allait devenir la Ville française de la Baie Sainte-Marie (5) dans le comté actuel de Digby, et c'est vers la même époque que sont fondés les villages acadiens du comté actuel de Yarmouth. (6) Tous ces villages constitueront en fin de compte le champ d'apostolat de l'abbé Jean Mandé Sigogne. De surcroît, pendant près d'un demi-siècle, ces Acadiens démunis et illettrés furent, bien involontairement, privés de services pastoraux, ainsi que des autres services dont ils disposaient normalement avant la Déportation. La présence sporadique de missionnaires itinérants, le plus souvent de langue anglaise, s'avérait impuissante à satisfaire leurs besoins religieux les plus élémentaires, aussi bien que ceux qui étaient relatifs à leur instruction rudimentaire.

This "Great Madness" caused irreversible changes and traits among the people; one of the consequences was the establishment of a certain number of Acadins in the south-west of New Scotland. In 1768, Joseph Dugas established at Grosses Coques(4) the first elemonts of that which became the French town of Baie Saint-Marie(5), in the county of Digby, and around the same time Acadian villages were founded around the county of Yarmouth(6). All these villages would constitute, in the end, the , the country of the apostolacy of Abbot Sigogne. Into the bargain, during nearly half a century, the Acadians had become poor and illiterate, albeit involuntarily, deprived of pastoral care, without the services that they would normally have before the Deportation. The sporadic presence of ?wandering ?itinerant ?travelling missionaries, most often English-speaking, had increased the difficulty of meeting even their most elementary religious needs, let alone give them even rudimentary religious instruction.

Endurcis par les guerres franco-britanniques et par l'épreuve de l'exil forcé dans le plus grand dénuement, ces Acadiens désorientés et sans guide, rejetés et apatrides, perdent peu à peu les fondements moraux de leur religion et adoptent des comportements sociaux étrangers aux moeurs chrétiennes. C'est à Sigogne que revient alors la lourde tâche de ramener ce troupeau au bercail. C'est un homme décidé, à la fois sévère et intransigeant, et d'une grande générosité. Son ministère est caractérisé par de nombreuses et incessantes difficultés, et jalonné de différends sérieux qui le tourmenteront d'ailleurs durant la plus grande partie de sa vie. Animé, cependant, d'un zèle ardent et désintéressé ce prêtre aura inlassablement recours à toutes ses ressources personnelles pour poursuivre son apostolat conformément aux règles de l'Église et aux ordonnances de son évêque. En dépit des obstacles rencontrés et des tracasseries auxquelles son peuple l'exposa, il réussit à susciter l'admiration et le respect, non seulement des siens, mais aussi, et surtout, des autorités anglaises de la province. Il servit dévotement et fidèlement les Acadiens pendant 45 ans, comme pasteur providentiel, comme bâtisseur d'églises et d'écoles, comme éducateur et comme défenseur de leurs droits civils.

Hardened by the Franco-Brittish wars and the trials of forced exile in the Great Deportation, these Acadians, disoriented and without guidance, dejected and stateless, lost little by little the moral underpinnings of their religion and adopted social manners alien to Christian custom. Sigogne revived his hard work of ?disposing of this can of worms. He was a dedicated man, at once severe and ?intransigent ?unshakeable, and with great generosity. His ministry was characterised by numerous incessant difficulties, and marked by serious disagreements which tormented others during the greater part of his life. Animated, however, by an ardent and ?uninterested ?unbiased zeal, this priece became ?unshakeable in recourse to all his personal resources for pursuing his apostolacy in conformance with the rules of the church and the ordinances of his bishop. In getting past these recalcitrant obstacles and the trials which his flock ?exposed him to, he gained admiration and respect, not only from his own people, but also, and above all, the English rulers of the province. He served devotedly and faithfully the Acadians for 45 years, as a providential pastor, a builder of churches and schools, as an educator and as a defender of civil rights.

Les deux grandes paroisses (Sainte-Marie et Sainte-Anne) de ce courageux missionnaire étaient composées de petits villages reliés uniquement par de grossiers sentiers, souvent impraticables en hiver surtout, dans les bois. En général, ces Acadiens avaient de grandes familles et l'occupation principale était la survie de la famille en pourvoyant aux besoins les plus fondamentales des membres. Les loisirs étaient peu nombreux, sinon les célébrations entourant certaines fêtes liturgiques ou certaines occasions, comme les noces et les enterrements. Le troc maritime avec les îles caraïbes avait comme résultat l'obtention, légale ou non, de boisson alcoolique parmi ces gens. Aussi, les habitants de ces villages descendaient souvent d'ancêtres communs, ce qui rendait impraticable le choix d'un conjoint ou d'une conjointe en dehors de la famille étendue.

The two great parishes (Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Anne) of his courageous mission had contained only small villages reachable only on rough trails, often impractical in winter and especially in the woods. In general, these Acadians had large families and their principal occupation was the survival of the family and getting hold of the most basic needs to its members. ?Relaxation ?Time off was a rare, only the celebrations appertaning to some church holidays or some occasions like births and deaths. Maritime exchange with the Caribbean islands had resulted in obtaining, legal or not, alcoholic liquor amongst these people. Also, the inhabitants of these villages were often descended from the same stock, which made it difficult to choose an unrelated partner outside of the family.

La combinaison de toutes ces composantes rendait particulièrement malaisée la tâche du curé qui voulait à tout prix tenir son peuple en conformité aux principes de l'Église catholique. Le jeune prêtre a vite pris conscience du caractère, des manières sociales et du comportement de ses paroissiens, et il a utilisé moult stratégies pour obvier aux défauts qu'il considérait contraires aux bonnes moeurs et inacceptables parmi un peuple chrétien. Le caractère intransigeant de l'un et l'entêtement enraciné des autres ont produit des différends et des tensions parfois acariâtres de part et d'autre. Malgré tout, le pasteur a été en définitive singulièrement apprécié de ses ouailles et leurs descendants lui ont témoigné un souvenir très honorable. Par son comportement sacerdotal édifiant et par la force convaincante de ses instructions, ce vaillant missionnaire a réussi à implanter chez ces Acadiens une pratique religieuse systématique et il a développé chez eux un plus grand sens civique.

The combination of all these made particularly unpleasant the tasks of a curate who wanted at all costs to take his people into the conformity and principles of the Catholic Church. The young priest had ?quickly taken conscience of character, social manners and comportment among his parishioners, and he used ?moult strategies to prevent behaviour that he considered contrary to good manners and unacceptable amongst a Christian people. The intransigent character of one and the inbred ideas of the others led to arguments and tensions which sometimes could be said to be six of one and half a dozen of the other. Alll the same, the pastor had a singular appreciation of his flock and their descendants always remembered him fondly. By his worshipful comportment and the courage of his convictions, this valiant missionary rose to implant among the Acadians systematic religious practice, and he developed among them a great civil ?sense ?pride.

Alors qu'il était encore curé de la paroisse Sainte-Marie, Jean Mandé Sigogne est décédé dans la sacristie de son église à Pointe-de-l'Église (Nouvelle-Écosse), le 9 novembre 1844. Il était âgé de 81 ans.

So he became once more the curate of Sainte-Marie parish. Sigogne died in the sacristy of his church at Pointe-de-l'Eglise (New Scotland) on 9 November 1844, aged 81 years.

Notes

(3) Guy Frégault, "La déportation des Acadiens", Revue d'Histoire de l'Amérique française 8/3 (1954) pp. 349–350. Voir aussi Thomas B. Akins, "Extract from the minutes of the Proceedings of the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, December 3d, 1762.", Public Documents of the Province of Nova Scotia, Halifax, N.S., Charles Annand, 1869, pp. 337–338.(reprendre à 3) (4) Petit village à la Baie Sainte-Marie dans le comté de Digby, Nouvelle-Écosse.(reprendre à 4) (5) Placide P. Gaudet, "La Pointe-à-Major, berceau de la colonie de Clare", L'Évangéline (18 juin 1891).(reprendre à 5) (6) Joan Bourque Campbell, L'Histoire de la paroisse de Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau (Eel Brook), Yarmouth, Éditions Lescarbot, 1985, p. 13 ; et Clarence J. d'Entremont, Histoire de Wedgeport, N.-É., s.é., 1967, p. 6.(reprendre à 6) Aller à la bibliographie.

Bibliography

• Gérald C. Boudreau. Le père Sigogne et les Acadiens du sud-ouest de la Nouvelle-Écosse. Monograph published by Éditions Bellarmin, St-Laurent (Quebec), May 1992, 230pp. [1]

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Biography at the Canadian Encyclopedia