WITH HIS PASSIONATE MANNER, HE HAS REACTED UNSUITABLY SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS IN THE WORLD

Father Telmon was a man of zeal for the Gospel with a capital “Z” – but until he came to Canada his experience had been of France and he did not understand the protestant churches. Bishop Bourget continues to narrate to Eugene:

“Fr. Telmon, with his passionate manner, reacted unsuitably several times with the best intentions in the world. He unfortunately consented to engage in a public debate with some Protestant ministers. Although he would have floored and beaten them on an even playing field, and there would have resulted a great good therefrom, nevertheless, from other aspects, this debate had some regrettable consequences and there especially resulted therefrom a public impression that he had not been victorious in this battle. The reason for this is that his enemies had the effrontery to sing a victory song and that a good number of Catholics, who were present, did not have sufficient instruction to discern the solidity of his arguments and the futility of those of his adversaries which are always very hollow for people who are not accustomed to controversy.

In the 19th century the Oblates (and the Church in general) were not familiar with the concept of ecumenism and were motivated by the doctrine of “outside of the Church there is no salvation.”

On another occasion, he burned some Bibles and Protestant books, without taking sufficient precaution to conceal his action. As well, it became an affair of state to the point that the periodicals of the United States and of Canada, which are committed to publishing people’s mistakes, seized upon it and tried to establish a spirit against the Catholic missionaries who have, they say, committed the awful sacrilege of profaning the Holy Bible. If this good Father were to consult, a little more, people experienced with the country, he would not expose the faith to being thus compromised and would not put the bishops in a very great predicament.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 20 March 1843, EO XXI

The ecumenical movement entered into Church thinking and practice only in the 20th century, so let us not be too harsh in judging people who acted according to the mentality of their time. Despite all his faults, Pierre Telmon was an amazing missionary who brought many to know Jesus Christ in France, Canada, Eastern USA and Texas – as we shall see later.