Jean Pierron (born at

Dun-sur-Meuse Dun-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Dun on Meuse'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Among notable residents was the painter Hector Leroux, who was buried in the cemetery there. History In the 11th century ...

, France, 28 September 1631; date and place of death unknown) was a French

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionary to New France (Canada).

Life

He entered the Jesuit novitiate at Nancy, 21 November 1650. After studying at

Pont-à-Mousson Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mou ...

, he became an instructor at

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

and

Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...

. He completed the curriculum in 1665 and spent two years more as an instructor at

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. On his arrival in Canada in June, 1667, he was sent to the mission of Sainte-Marie, which ministered primarily to the

Huron people The Wyandot people (also Wyandotte, Wendat, Waⁿdát, or Huron) are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of the present-day United States and Canada. Their Wyandot language belongs to the Iroquoian language family. In Canada, ...

, an Iroquoian-speaking group. In a letter written to friends in France the same year, Oierron described his impressions of the country, the characteristics and customs of the Native Americans, and expressed an admiration for the Iroquoian Huron language, which reminded him of Greek. He arrived at Tionontoguen, one of the three principal villages of the

Mohawk Nation The Mohawk, also known by their own name, (), are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America and the easternmost nation of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Five Nations or later the ...

, on 7 October 1668, where he replaced Jacques Frémin as missionary. These people were one of the most flourishing of the five Iroquois nations: warriors, and difficult to convert. Pierron made use of pictures which he painted in order to express his teachings in a way the Mohawk could grasp. He invented a game by means of which the Indians learned the doctrines and devotions of the Catholic Church. He taught the children to read and write. Returning north, Pierron spent one winter in

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

to ascertain whether it would be possible to re-establish the missions, which had been expelled in 1655. He also travelled through

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

(which at that time had a Catholic governor,

Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore (August 27, 1637 – February 21, 1715) was an English colonial administrator. He inherited the province of Maryland in 1675 upon the death of his father, Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. He had been his ...

, and a policy of religious tolerance), and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Returning to the Iroquois, he worked among them until 1677 and returned to France the following year. He is often credited with the conversion of S t. Kateri Tekakwitha.

References

;Attribution The entry cites: * Reuben Gold Thwaites, ''Jesuit Relations'' (Cleveland, 1896–1901); * Thomas J. Campbell, ''Pioneer Priests of North America'' (New York, 1909)

External links

Biography
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierron, Jean 1631 births 17th-century French Jesuits French Roman Catholic missionaries Year of death unknown Roman Catholic missionaries in Canada Jesuit missionaries in New France