Joseph-Papin Archambault

Archambault, Joseph-Papin

Joseph-Papin Archambault, Jesuit priest, (b at Montréal 1880; d there Oct 1966). He received his classical education at Collège Sainte-Marie in Montréal. He was ordained in 1912. While teaching at Collège Saint-Marie, 1904-09, he developed French Canada's first system of closed retreats to promote moral regeneration first at Villa Saint-Martin in l'Abord-à-Plouffe and then Villa Manrèse in Québec City.

Inspired by the social catholicism of Pope Leo XIII, he helped found, in January 1911, the École Sociale Populaire (dir 1929-59), to popularize and disseminate the social teachings of the Catholic Church. In 1921 he created and directed for 40 years Les SEMAINES SOCIALES DU CANADA, a biannual conference aimed at raising the consciousness of the clerical and petit-bourgeoise elites.

Following the Congrès de la langue française in Montréal 1912, which had sparked his concern over the abysmal lack of French in the business community of Montréal, he helped found the Ligue des droits du française in March 1913, followed by the Ligue d'Action française in 1917. The latter was responsible for a militant nationalist periodical l'Action française, directed by his close friend Abbé Lionel GROULX, 1922-27. In 1933 Archambault helped to launch the Ligue d'Action nationale and its periodical ACTION NATIONALE. During the 1930s and 1940s, he waged an incessant campaign against communism and socialism, especially the CCF, while promoting the spiritual and material benefits of a Catholic-inspired social corporatism.