Taché, Alexandre-Antonin

TACHÉ, ALEXANDRE-ANTONIN. - Archbishop of St. Boniface, b. July 23, 1823 at Fraserville (Canada), d. at St-Boniface on June 22, 1894. In 1845 he entered the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and in that year departed for the Red River mission, working with success among the Indians and the Métis.

In 1851 he was coadjutor to Bishop Joseph Norbert Provencher, and in 1853 he assumed the government of the diocese of St-Boniface, which at that time comprised the whole of the Canadian northwest. He promoted and directed the Indian mission, which the Oblates had extended as far as the extreme north. The northern part was later severed in 1862 in order to erect the apostolic vicariate of Athabasca-Mackenzie. With intrepid spirit and far-sighted vision he avoided the dangers arising from the incorporation of the region into the Canadian Confederation in 1870 and from the numerous immigrations. In the Métis rebellion of 1871 he succeeded in avoiding bloodshed. In 1871 the diocese of St-Albert was detached and St-Boniface was elevated to an archdiocese. With great zeal he promoted the development of the archdiocese, erecting parishes, churches, chapels, schools. In 1889 he held the first provincial Council. His prudent activity in favor of Catholic schools was suddenly cut short by the law of March 19, 1890, issued by the liberal government of the province of Manitoba. His protest obtained nothing other than permission for the erection of Catholic schools, on condition of the payment of taxes also for the state schools. He is recognized as the organizer of the Catholic Church in the Canadian northwest.