Gabriel Richard ( ; October 15, 1767 – September 13, 1832) was a French

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

who ministered to the French Catholics in the parish of Sainte Anne de Détroit, as well as Protestants and Native Americans living in Southeast Michigan. Richard established schools, a library, and vocational training with weaving looms. After the Town of Detroit was nearly destroyed by a fire in 1805, he and others created a new layout for the town. His motto following the fire, ''Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus'' ("We hope for better things; it will arise from the ashes") is inscribed on the Seal of the City of Detroit. Richard helped negotiate the Treaty of Fort Meigs. He was co-founder of the ''Catholepistemiad'' (which would later be renamed the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

). He was the first Catholic priest elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as delegate of the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

for the 18th Congress. The Fr. Gabriel Richard Guild was established in 2020 as one of the first steps towards

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon ca ...

of Richard.

Early life

Born in La Ville de Saintes on October 15, 1767, Gabriel Richard was the third of six children born to François Richard and Marie Geneviève Bossuet. At age 11, Gabriel was ready to receive a formal education. He was admitted into the Collège in Saintes. Gabriel Richard struggled at first but soon became one of the school's top scholars. His grades especially improved after an accident sidelined him for a period of time. The Collège was building a new chapel, and the building was surrounded with scaffolding. Even though the boys were forbidden to climb it, Gabriel Richard did. In descending, he stepped off into space. He received a “head wound and a heavy cut in the chin and mouth.” This accident left him with a jaw that had a slight twist to the left and a permanent scar. He entered the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

in 1784 and was ordained on October 15, 1790. He was a priest of the

Society of Saint-Sulpice The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; PSS), also known as the Sulpicians, is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, where it was founded. The members of the Society add the ...

, an intellectual order. Expressing the value of receiving a good education, Richard wrote his father, "I esteem education a hundred times more than the succession you could leave us, for an accident can deprive us of all our possessions, but knowledge and good education remain with us forever." During the French Revolution, which began in the spring of 1792, revolutionary militants demanded that priests declare their allegiance to the secular French Republic. Richard refused to swear the oath and on April 2, he sailed from

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

on the ship named ''Reine des Coeurs'' (''Queen of Hearts'') for the United States. More than 200 priests were killed by revolutionary forces four months later. He emigrated to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. He taught mathematics at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, until being assigned by Bishop Carroll to do

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

work to the Indians in the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

. He was first stationed in what is now Kaskaskia, Illinois, and later in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Missionary

Richard arrived in

on the Feast of Corpus Christi, which was on June 7, 1798, to be the assistant pastor at Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit (Sainte Anne's Church). Michael Levadoux was the pastor. Many of the people in Detroit, both Catholics and Protestants, were of France ethnicity. He acquired the name ''Le Bon Pere'' (the good father), regardless of their religion. He traveled to distant communities. South of Detroit, he met with Catholics along

Maumee Bay Maumee Bay on Lake Erie is located in the U.S. state of Ohio, just east of the city of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The bay and the surrounding wetlands form most of the Maumee River basin, and in 1975 part of the area was incorporated into Maumee Bay Sta ...

, and along the

Raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...

, Huron, Ecorse, and Rouge River areas. To the north, he ministered to those along the St. Clair and Black Rivers. And he visited Catholics along Anchor Bay, Swan Creek, L'Anse Creuse Bay on Lake St. Clair, and the Clinton River. He established the third oldest parish in Michigan along the Clinton River when he established a log chapel called St. Peter's of Mt. Clemens in 1799. The same year, he traveled north to visit the

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

at L'Arbre Croche. Soon after, a smallpox epidemic spread through the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

region. More than one half of L'Arbre Croche settlement's residents died. The Odawa believed deaths were retributions, either because Richard's religion was evil or that the Great Spirit was angered by the possibility of the natives accepting Catholicism. In 1801, Bishop Pierre Denaut arrived in Detroit from Quebec. He administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 536 parishioners, of those all but 10 were of French heritage. Richard became the pastor of the church in 1802. He gave sermons on Sundays for the church parishioners, and at some point began providing sermons for Protestants and Native Americans. With his assistant pastor, Father Jean Dilhet, he ran separate schools for girls and boys beginning in 1804 and established a library for the church. He trained four people to be teachers and provided education to local Native Americans. He also had looms delivered and taught members of the church to weave. A fire leveled the city on June 11, 1805, including Sainte Anne's Church. This is when Gabriel Richard wrote the city of Detroit's motto: ''Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus''; In English: "We hope for better things; it will arise from the ashes." The words are printed on the seal of the City of Detroit. Richard organized the shipment of food aid to the city from neighboring

ribbon farm Ribbon farms (also known as strip farms, river lots, long-lot farms, or just long lots) are long, narrow land divisions for farming, usually lined up along a waterway. In some instances, they line a road. Background Ribbon or strip farms were p ...

s on both sides of the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

to alleviate a food crisis following the loss of the city's supply of livestock and grain. He arranged for funding from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and, with other leaders, created a new city plan for the streets in Detroit, including Jefferson and Michigan Avenues. In 1808, Richard established a school for Native American and white children. He had the first printing press in Detroit and published a periodical in the French language entitled ''Essais du Michigan,'' as well as ''The Michigan Essay, or Impartial Observer'', in 1809. He also printed books with the press, including reprints of books. He is said to have printed ''The Child's Spelling Book''. He had a personal library of 240 books on history, literature, theology, philosophy, law, and science. He also had a book of the ''Gospel of St. John'' that was printed in Mohawk and English. Richard ministered among the Indians of the region and was generally admired by them. During the War of 1812, Richard was imprisoned by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

for refusing to swear an oath of allegiance after their capture of Detroit, saying, "I have taken an oath to support the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

and I cannot take another. Do with me as you please." He was released when the

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

chief

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, despite his hatred for the Americans, refused to fight for the British while Richard was imprisoned. The Americans won the war in 1815.

Treaty of Fort Meigs

Richard helped negotiate the Treaty of Fort Meigs in which the lands of Native Americans in the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

valley and the lower

—including the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

, and Chippewa—were ceded to the United States government. Some of the lands became the site of the University of Michigan's campus in Ann Arbor.

The Catholepistemiad

Together with Chief Justice Augustus B. Woodward, Richard was a co-founder of the Catholepistemiad (which would later be renamed the

), authorized by the legislature in 1817. He served as a professor, its vice-president, and a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

. It was first established in Detroit and 20 years later, it was moved to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Political career

Richard was elected as a nonvoting delegate of the Michigan Territory to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 18th Congress, and was the first Catholic priest to be elected to that body, serving a single term from March 4, 1823, to March 3, 1825. He secured the first federal appropriation for the Territorial Road across Michigan's lower peninsula; it was developed as Michigan Avenue, connecting Detroit with Chicago. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1824 to the Nineteenth Congress.

Death

On September 13, 1832, after assisting cholera victims during an epidemic, Gabriel Richard died in Detroit. He was buried in a

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

in the chapel of Sainte Anne's and was later moved to the Fr. Gabriel Richard Chapel where his coffin is on full display. His library was among the collection of the Sacred Heart Seminary beginning in 1925 and were presented to the University of Michigan in 1951. In 1937, ''The Michigan Catholic'' said that Richard had a

Legacy

*A bronze bust of Richard by Frank Varga marks his tomb within Sainte Anne Church. *A State of Michigan Historical Marker commemorates Richard outside Sainte Anne Church in Detroit. *A statue of Richard resides on the Detroit City Hall's exterior. It was made by Julius Melchers. *A statue of Richard is located at Mullen Park at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

. *A statue of Richard is located at Gabriel Richard Park at East Jefferson and East Grand Boulevard. *A State of Michigan Historical Marker commemorates Richard in

Jonesville, Michigan Jonesville is a city in Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,176 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled by brothers Benaiah and Edmund Jones, who came here from Painesville, Ohio in 1828 and purch ...

for his negotiation for federal funds for the Sauk Trail, also called the Territorial Road. * The motto that he first penned, ''Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus'', continues to be the official motto of the City of Detroit. There are at least four schools near

named after Richard: * Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview, Michigan * Father Gabriel Richard High School in

*Gabriel Richard Elementary School in Detroit * Père Gabriel Richard Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

Canonization

The Fr. Gabriel Richard Guild was formed on September 20, 2020, as one of the first steps towards

of Richard. Coinciding with the announcement, Detroit's Archbishop Allen Vigneron released a statement, saying "Fr. Richard was a zealous pastor whose missionary heart guided all that he did. At a time when we in the Archdiocese are coming to a renewed awareness of our missionary vocation, I am grateful that we are able to raise up Fr. Richard as a model and inspiration for our mission today." The purpose of the guild is to determine if there is sufficient "heroic virtue or holiness worth promoting" by the church's archbishop and other bishops in Michigan.

References

Bibliography

* *