Jesuit Relations

Response to The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents



When I think of the colonization of a new country, I think of the building of new towns, the establishing of new trade routes, and the cultivating of new crops. The Jesuits, however, had quite a different idea.
The Jesuits’ central purpose in all of their expeditions was spreading their religion. While I knew that this was their fundamental goal, I did not comprehend the extent to which they pursued it. In every new area they colonized, from the Caicos Islands to Quebec, the first order of business was to “erect a chapel”. Before they report on food or resources, the Jesuits report on the building of one or more new chapels and the ensuing missions that will begin. There was e...