Benoît Lacroix facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benoît Lacroix
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Benoît Lacroix in 2012
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| Born |
Joachim Lacroix
8 September 1915 |
| Died | 2 March 2016 (aged 100) Canada
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Religious scholar Philosopher Professor Priest |
Benoît Lacroix (born Joachim Lacroix; 8 September 1915 – 2 March 2016) was a well-known Canadian religious scholar and philosopher. He was also a Dominican priest, a university professor, and a historian who studied the Middle Ages. He wrote nearly 50 books and many articles during his life.
Life and Work
Early Years
Benoît Lacroix was born Joachim Lacroix in Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse, Quebec. He was one of five children. He went to Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and finished his arts degree in 1936. That same year, he began studying religion at a Dominican school.
He became a priest with the Dominican Order on 5 July 1941. He also earned a degree in theology (the study of religious beliefs) from the Dominican University College in Ottawa. After becoming a Dominican priest, he changed his name to Benoît. This was to honor Pope Benedict XI, who was also a Dominican pope from the Middle Ages.
Father Lacroix wanted to study in Europe, but World War II stopped his plans. Instead, he earned a Ph.D. in Medieval Sciences in Toronto in 1951. His professor, Étienne Gilson, encouraged him to study Historiography (the study of how history is written). He also did more studies in Paris and at Harvard University in the United States.
Teaching and Research
From 1945 to 1985, Benoît Lacroix taught at the Institute of Medieval Studies at Université de Montréal. He was even the director of the Institute from 1963 to 1969. He was also a visiting professor in Japan, Rwanda, and France.
Benoît Lacroix started his writing career by writing about literature, art, and history. He often wrote for La Revue Dominicaine, a religious magazine. He later took over as editor of this magazine.
In 1968, Lacroix started the Centre d'études des religions populaires. This center studied popular religious beliefs. It published papers and held conferences about religion among French-speaking Catholics in Quebec, Ontario, and Acadia.
He also worked with Jacques Brault to publish the writings of Quebec poet Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau in 1971.
From 1973 to 1976, Lacroix led the Quebec Studies program at the University of Caen Normandy in France. He helped create many cultural and academic exchanges between France and Quebec. This helped many students and professors.
In the mid-1980s, he left university teaching to focus more on writing and sharing his ideas. He became very well-known in religious and intellectual groups in Quebec.
In 1979, he helped start the Institut québécois de recherche (Quebec Research Institute). He was part of its Science Committee. He also led a group that studied popular religions. He wrote several books on this topic, including Religion populaire, religion de clercs? (Popular religion, the religion of the clergy?) and Religion populaire au Québec.
He also wrote books for a wider audience, like La religion de mon père (The Religion of My Father) and La foi de ma mère (The Faith of My Mother). He appeared on many radio and TV shows to talk about popular religion.
From 1987 to 2010, Benoît Lacroix wrote many spiritual essays for the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir. In 2012, a journalist wrote a long story about Father Benoît Lacroix and the Dominican convent where he lived.
He was friends with many important people. These included professor Étienne Gilson, philosopher Jacques Maritain, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and poet Gilles Vigneault.
In 2012, Lacroix celebrated 75 years as a priest. He turned 100 years old in September 2015. He passed away from pneumonia on 2 March 2016.
Awards and Honours
Benoît Lacroix received many awards and honors for his work.
- In 1971, he became a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the French Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
- In 1981, he won the prestigious Prix Léon-Gérin. This award is given by the Government of Quebec to top researchers in social sciences. The award committee praised his work as a religious scholar, writer, and historian. They said he helped people understand Quebec's history in new ways.
- In 1982, he joined the Société des Dix, a group of Quebec historians.
- In 1985, he became an Officer of the Order of Canada, which is a very high honor.
- In 1987, he received the Pierre Chauveau Medal from the Royal Society of Canada. This award is for important contributions to knowledge in the humanities.
- In 1990, he received an honorary doctorate from Université de Sherbrooke.
- He also became a Knight and later a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec.
The public library in Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse, his hometown, was renamed "Bibliothèque Benoît-Lacroix" in his honor.
