Jerome Lalemant

1593-1673. Jesuit missionary to Canada. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1610, and after probation held several positions at Jesuit colleges in France. In 1638 he went to Canada as a missionary to the Hurons, and in the same year was named superior of the Huron mission. He began building Sainte-Marie-des-Hurons in 1639, with much of the work being done by the donnés. These were laymen who dedicated their lives for religious service without taking religious orders, and it was Lalemant who created the donnés. In 1644 he became superior of the Jesuits in New France, and in 1658 was made rector of the Jesuit college at La Flèche, France. He returned with Laval* to Quebec in 1659 and was again until 1665 superior of the Jesuits. Lalemant was known for his spirituality and was held in esteem by both French and Indian Canadians.