Ignace Bourget

Article summary

Ignace Bourget ( ; October 30, 1799 – June 8, 1885) was a Canadian Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Montreal from 1840 to 1876. Born in Lévis, Quebec, in 1799, Bourget entered the clergy at an early age, undertook several courses of religious study, and in 1837 was named coadjutor bishop of the newly created Diocese of Montreal. Following the death of Jean-Jacques Lartigue in 1840, Bourget became Bishop of Montreal. During the 1840s, Bourget led the expansion of the Catholic Church in Quebec. He encouraged the immigration of European missionary societies, including the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Jesuits, the Society of the Sacred Heart and the Good Shepherd Sisters. He also established entirely new religious communities including the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Sisters of Saint Anne, Sisters of Providence, and the Institute of Misericordia Sisters. He commissioned the construction of St James Cathedral, known today as Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, and played a key role in the establishment of the Université Laval and the Hospice of the Holy Child Jesus. Bourget was a fierce ultramontanist, supporting the supreme authority of the pope in matters both secular and spiritual.…

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1799 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of birth: 1799-10-30 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of death: 1840-04-23 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. date of death: 1885-06-08 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1799". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of birth is "1799-10-30". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of death is "1840-04-23". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the date of death is "1885-06-08". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
7. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359593794