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Father Jacques Langlais
c.s.c.
1921-2008
On January 8th in Montreal,
Father Jacques Langlais from the Holly Cross Congregation, passed
away. He was the founder, in 1963, of the Monchanin Centre ( which
became the Intercultural Institute of Montreal in 1990). We, the
Administrative Board, the Director and employees of the Intercultural
Institute of Montreal, pay homage to Father Jacques Langlais, who
has dedicated his life to interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
As a man of Peace throughout his life, he has remained faithful
to the motto that he had given to the Monchanin Centre at its very
foundation: " The hour has come for the feast of nations ".
Requiescat
in pace
Jacques Langlais, in Memoriam
An homage to this man who fostered pluralism all his
life.
Jacques Langlais the founder of the Monchanin Center
(1963) which became the Intercultural Institute of Montreal (1990),
passed away at the Basile Moreau residence of the Holy Cross Congregation
to which he belonged. He did so in his sleep, quietly, discreetly.
Even if his departure could be foreseen because of his age and health
condition, it left a void among his friends his friends and acquaintances.
The following three texts render this homage to Father Jacques
Langlais:
- The story of his itinerary and many achievements,
drawn from the Holy Cross Congregation’s list of assignments
given to him;
- The homage that was written on behalf
of the Intercultural Institute of Montreal by Robert Vachon, Jacques’
longstanding and close partner in his work since an early stage.
The homage was read at the funeral service by Dr. Carlo Sterlin,
the President of IIM’s Administrative Board;
- Some information on Jacques Langlais’
implication at the IIM since 1970;
- An excerpt from the homily that was read
by Jacques’ colleague father André Charron, during
the funeral at the crypt of the St-Joseph Oratory.
1. Jacques Langlais’ achievements
On August 15th 1941, he entered the Pointe-Claire Novitiate, and
took his first vows on August 16th, 1942, his perpetual vows and
mission vow on August 16th 1945. He was ordained a priest on February
2,1946 in St-Laurent, by Mgr Joseph Charbonneau. He was sent on
mission to the following places:
1946-1947 Taught at the College Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours
at Cap Haitien;
1952-1962 Served as one of the animators of Amitié Canada-Orient
(Canada-Orient Friendship);
1953-1969 Co-founder and editor of the Orient periodical;
1955-1956 Studied at Institut d’ethnologie et de sociologie
religieuse (Paris, France)
1957-1958 Studied at the Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill;
1958-1968 Served as a member of Montreal’s Ecumenical Dialogue.
Between 1964 and 1967, he collaborated with the Research Committee
of the Chistian Pavillion, during the 1967 Terre des Hommes (Universal
Fair);
1963 Founded the Monchanin Centre (Intercultural Institute of Montreal);
1970-1972 Obtains a Master’s degree at the McMaster University:
concentration on India and China;
1971-1979 Served as Secretary and President of the Canadian Society
for the Study of Religion/Société Canadienne pour
l’étude de la Religion;
1976 Obtained Ph.D. McMaster University and his thesis was on the
Quebec Jesuits in China (1918-1955): their perception of Chinese
traditions;
1978-1995 Founded “Les Amis du Centre Monchanin”;
1979 Coauthors the book “Qui est Québécois?”
with Robert Vachon, Director of the Monchanin Intercultural Center
since 1970;
1979-1992 Co-founder and secretary of the journal Medium, human
sciences;
1980 Introduces in Montreal the World Conference of Religion for
Peace (WCRP);
1987 Founded along with David Rome and Dr. Jacques Lightstone of
Concordia University, the Institut Québécois d’études
sur la culture juive (Institute for the Study of Jewish Culture);
1989-1993 Served as a member of the Canadian Council of Christian
and Jews;
1989-1998 With Dr. Harry Goldman, Pierre Anctil and Yolande Cohen,
he founded a Forum for bringing closer together Quebeckers from
Jewish and French ancestry: le Dialogue St-Urbain;
1993-1998 Served as a member of the Judeo-Christian Dialogue Committee
for the Catholic Church of Montreal;
1994-1997 National President of the World Conference of Religions
for Peace/Canada;
1997 National Honorary President of WCRP/Canada. He participates
in the International Conference of WCRP on Nov. 24-26, 1997, at
Havana, Cuba;
1998 Founded, with the Conseil Québécois de la Paix,
Educators for Peace groupe and participated in the organization
of its first North-American congress in Montreal, August 21-23;
2002 Named Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.);
2005 Named Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Québec
(C.Q.).
Father Langlais has published many articles and books,
among which:
· Le Bouddha et les deux bouddhismes (Fides, 1976);
· Les Jésuites du Québec en Chine (1919-1955)
(Québec, P.U.L. 1979);
· Le Québec de Demain et les communautés culturelles.
With the collaboration of Pierre Laplante and Yossi Lévy
(Edition du Meridien, 1990);
· Jews and French Quebeckers, Two hundred years of Shared
History, in collaboration with David Rome, translation by Barbara
Young (Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1991);
· Les Pierres qui parlent/Stones that speak, with David Rome’s
collaboration (September 1991);
· Du Village au Monde: à la rencontre des cultures
(Mémoires) (Les Éditions Carte Blanche, 2000).
2. The hour has come for the feast of nations. Homage from
IIM
This text was written by Robert Vachon, was delivered by Dr. Carlo
Sterlin; President of the administrative board of IIM at Father
Jacques Langlais’ funeral, which took place in the crypt of
St-Joseph Oratory, Montreal, on January 14th 2008.
The contribution Jacques Langlais, this giant of inter-religious
dialogue for Peace, cannot be confined to his work at Centre Monchanin
and at the Intercultural Institute of Montreal, of which he was
the founder-director from 1963 to 1970, and subsequently served
as a life-time councilor at its Administrative Board. He sparked
fires of inter-religious and intercultural peace everywhere.
It is in that spirit that in 1963, he founded the Monchanin Center
under the beautiful motto which has always remained attached to
his person "The time has come for the feast of nations".
He promoted the spirit of interpersonal dialogue between people
of diverse religious and cultural background based on their personal
experiences. He sought an approach to dialogue that would be complimentary
to what is academic.
Jacques believed in a deeply pluralistic Quebec. He was deeply rooted
in his culture but open to humanity’s treasures of wisdom.
He was an altruist, generous, inspired and free-being.
All of his life and work has been marked by the triple seal of a
faith enfleshed in the world, of a hope which prevented him from
weakening and, specially, of a charity which kept him ever open
and welcoming with regard to any person who called upon him.
Let us be faithful to him and, as he did, let us open together new-horizons.
By reclaiming and living "the time has come for the feast of
nations", i.e. quebecois pluralism, Jacques and his spirit
will then continue to live on through us all; the grace of his life
will continue to inspire us and to nurture our own. Thus, we will
witness his resurrection and he will continue to be ever present,
alive and eternal, at the very heart of our lives.
Jacques! This will also be our way of continuing to express all
of our gratitude.
Robert Vachon
Montréal, January 13th 2008
3. Some information on Jacques Langlais’
implication at the IIM since 1970
Jacques Langlais, after having at his own initiative, passed on
the Directorship of Centre Monchanin to Robert Vachon in 1970, has
remained one of its principal councilors and one of its most faithful
collaborators and this at various levels. He was an active member
of the Administrative board until 1998. After that he remained an
honorary councilor of Board until his death, as his health condition
did not allow him to do otherwise.
Until 1998, he was co-director and co-editor of our Journal Interculture,
doing among other tasks an excellent work of editing and translation
of the French version of the journal.
He continued to act as the ambassador of the IIM and participated
in numerous inter-religious and intercultural activities as the
delegated representative of the Institute or on his own.
As for the IIM, it has supported him in many of his personal initiatives
and offered its collaboration for his activities, notably the World
Conference of Religions for Peace (1980), the Autobus de la Paix
(1991), Dialogue St-Urbain (1993-1998), Educators for Peace (1998),
among the most important ones.
It is also important to mention that in 1990, when the name of the
Center was changed from Monchanin Intercultural Center to Intercultural
Institute of Montreal, an initiative that is always delicate for
an organization, we were able to rely, not only on the unreserved
accord of Jacques Langlais as founder, but on his full collaboration.
4. Excerpt from the Homily at Jacques Langlais’ c.s.c. funeral
(January 14th, 2008)
We reproduce here an excerpt from the homily delivered by Jacque’s
confrere, Father Andre Charron, during the funeral at the crypt
of the St-Joseph Oratory.
(…) He was a charming man, cultured, storyteller, humorist,
sometimes poet and musician. Very faithful to his roots, he was
also open to mankind’s treasures of wisdom. He remained free
with regard to conventions, to established securities and to institutional
constraints. In many ways, he was a traveler constantly on the move,
an adventurer in search of new discoveries. His studies, readings,
meetings kept him in constant evolution, open to the world, to beings,
to new ideas, and open to what is different and foreign.
In brief, he was basically a man of the Gospel through the witness
of his life. I have not hesitated to propose the Gospel of the beatitudes
for his funeral because I think that his life has been a fine illustration
of it.
· «Blessed are the poor in spirit». He has been
such, he who has chosen to be simple, humble, generous, given, without
pretence and without expecting anything in return. And he was happy
with that.
· «Blessed are the meek». Endowed with great
kindness, never aggressive, he has been proverbially patient, with
always a positive outlook on persons.
· «Blessed are they that mourn». Fragile in his
health and while suffering, he overcame discouragement. He practiced
empathy and compassion while he accompanied and helped so many individuals
suffering hardships.
· «Blessed are those hungry for justice». This
is what motivated his attitudes of respect towards persons, of listening,
and of defense of the oppressed.
· «Blessed are the merciful». He never closed
doors. He was ready to excuse, relativize, understand and forgive.
This made him happy.
· «Blessed are the pure in heart». Ever transparent,
without detour, he was true. Forgetting himself, he was ready to
have faith in the others, even at the risk of being exploited. A
man of hope and of light, he had the optimism of a lover of life.
· «Blessed are the peacemakers». He has been
a peace educator. He worked for peace by promoting reconciliation
and love between people. He cultivated dialogue, understanding and
friendship. This made him happy.
«The Kingdom of God» is his!
(Mathieu, 5, 1-12)
Father Jacques Langlais had all the time needed to prepare for the
rendez-vous to the last Feast of Nations. When writing his memoirs
on the eve of the year 2000, he took stock of his life. It is that
— the result of his life, of his actions and of his work —
which finds closure in death. And what is ultimate for God is the
Kingdom. Beyond physical degeneration, breaking away from those
who are nearby, bodily disappearance, his life is brought to achievement,
to its fullness, in the Kingdom of God. Let us listen anew to what
the Apocalypse says:
«I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down from God’s
abode […]
Here is the abode of God among men
God himself will be with them […]
I make everything new, he says,
I am the beginning and the end,
I shall give gratuitously to the one who thirsts for the water spring
of life:
Such will be the heritage reserved to the victor;
I shall be his God and he will be my son»
(Apocalypse 21, 1-7)
André Charron, c.s.c.
St-Joseph Oratory, Mount-Royal
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