Researcher: Dr. Roberto Perin, Department of History, Glendon, York University.

Research Questions: 1) What role did Catholicism play in the formation of a Québécois identity?

2) More precisely, what did Monsignor Ignace Bourget contribute to Québec nationalism?

Methodology: Analysis of Vatican archives of correspondence between Mgr Ignace Bourget and the congregation secretaries, the cardinals and the Pope.

Results and Conclusions: After the Quiet Revolution, Québec historiography tended to minimize the role played by Catholicism in the development of the province. However, the talented Mgr Bourget was a key figure with exceptional political abilities and remarkable spiritual qualities, leaving Montreal with a significant cultural and architectural heritage. The Bishop was an important figure in Quebec history and was able to express the aspirations of an entire people.

Dissemination of Results: This research is the focus of a monograph to be published by Boréal, Ignace de Montréal : Artisan d’une identité nationale.

Impact on the Discipline: Dr. Perin’s work contributes to the historiographic debate surrounding the cultural and political role played the Church during the era from the Act of Union to Confederation. The work also serves as a reorientation, readjustment to the work of Monseigneur Bourget, which had long been the object of excessive and unjust criticism since World War II.

Impact on Society and Potential Users: TBetter understanding of the origins of the Québec national identity during the period spreading between the Patriot Rebellion and the Quiet Revolution (1838-1960).

Keywords: History, Québec, Mgr Ignace Bourget, Quiet Revolution, Catholicism, Church, Ultramontanism