A Woman of Valour: The Biography of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle (review)

The celibacy of Catholic priests has posed personal challenges both for priests themselves and for religious historians who consider the social consequences of their transgressions. Notable in this regard are recent revelations of recurring homosexual liaisons with young boys in residential schools. Claire Trépanier's biography provides further disclosure of the sexual relations of priests with women through the life of Marie-Louise Bouchard Labelle. From 1906 to 1928 this French-Canadian woman was romantically involved with Father Joseph A. Roy, a priest 33 years her senior. She was forced to raise three children on her own after Roy returned to the priesthood.

Bouchard Labelle left no diary or written correspondence, and as such the book relies on interviews with her children and grandchildren, on photographs, and on church records in order to reveal her strength and determination. This biography combines the author's insightful observations with a laborious treatment of primary documents. Trépanier looks at historical events such as the Riel Rebellions, the Depression, and the First and Second World Wars, and considers how they affected the lives of Marie-Louise and her family.

The original subject of the book has broader implications for a growing feminist historiography on female agency and survival strategies. Taken together with other such narratives, it could form part of a critical analysis of Catholic patriarchy and how it shaped her life and, more widely, the lives of other women in similar situations. The author discusses these possibilities in the Postscript, (181-2) but she could address these points at the start.

Marie-Louise's life is a testimony to prejudicial treatment: limited education, abandonment by a priest, minimal financial support, failed business ventures, and her ultimate dependence on her children in later life. Originally published as C'est le temps d'en parler by the same publisher, the English translation begins with her birth in 1891 at Les Escoumins, a small Quebec village at the mouth of the Saguenay River. Representative of out-migration from these rural regions in this period, the family subsequently moved to the Copper Cliff mines near Sudbury. The death of her father in the mines led to her mother's remarriage and, eventually, pioneer life on a farm in nearby Hanmer. Chapter 1 gives a brief account of her upbringing which consisted of the modesty, thrift, homemaking skills, and behaviour judged appropriate for Catholic girls at this time. Household chores were her primary responsibility as the eldest daughter in a growing family dominated by an enterprising adoptive father. This explains her limited schooling.

Chapter 2 traces the contrasting situation of Father Joseph A. Roy. Born in 1858 in Berthierville, Quebec, he pursued classical studies in Joliette and theological training at the Grand Séminaire in Montreal. After a brief stint as a Quebec vicar, he was assigned to missions in the Canadian West from 1890 to 1905: in Regina and Wolseley, Saskatchewan, and in Vernon, BC.

Roy's early career foreshadows future events. The intervention of his superior, Archbishop Monseigneur Langevin, followed Roy's involvement in the civil matters of his parishioners, such as allowing dances and giving marital advice leading to separation. Roy's liberal views ran counter to the Catholic canon of the time, and could account for his questionable whereabouts from 1905 to 1906. He may have taken a leave of absence to reflect on his vocation. (30) In any event, at age 48 he became the first parish priest in Hanmer. It was at this point in 1906 that he first encountered 15-year-old Marie-Louise.

The years 1906 to 1916 covered in Chapter 3 are a turning point in this saga. At 21, Marie-Louise became Father Roy's presbytery maid; she then followed him to Cache Bay for periodic visits. Their love flourished in discreet cohabitation and Roy seriously pondered his choices in terms of being part of the clergy. Marie-Louise longed to leave for a city where...