author
Charles Paschal Telesphore Chiniquy
1809–1899
A fiery and controversial religious figure, he moved from celebrated Catholic temperance preacher to Presbyterian minister and prolific anti-Catholic lecturer. His dramatic life took him from Quebec to Illinois and into some of the sharpest religious debates of the 19th century.
2 Audiobooks
The Priest, the Woman and the Confessional
by Charles Paschal Telesphore Chiniquy
Fifty Years in the Church of Rome
by Charles Paschal Telesphore Chiniquy
About the author
Born in Kamouraska, Lower Canada, in 1809, he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the 1830s and became widely known for his temperance preaching in French Canada. His popularity as a public speaker helped make him one of the best-known religious figures in the region.
His career changed dramatically after conflicts with Catholic authorities. He moved to Illinois, where he led a French Canadian settlement connected with St. Anne, broke with the Catholic Church in the 1850s, and later became a Presbyterian minister. He went on to lecture extensively and wrote books that strongly attacked the Church he had once served.
Remembered today as a gifted speaker and a deeply divisive polemicist, he remains a striking figure in Canadian and American religious history. His story reflects both the power of reform movements such as temperance and the intense sectarian tensions of the 19th century.