Louis-François Richer Laflèche (4 septembre 1818 - 14 juillet 1898) est un prêtre catholique canadien, évêque du diocèse de Trois-Rivières, dans la province de Québec. Son nom provient de la grande région de La Flèche en France d'où sa famille était originaire. Né le 4 septembre 1818 dans la paroisse de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade au Québec, il étudie au collège de Nicolet de 1831 à 1839, après quoi il enseigne les lettres et les sciences tout en suivant des cours de théologie. Il est ordonné prêtre le 7 janvier 1844.
En 1844, il est missionnaire près de la Rivière Rouge. Il se rend à la célèbre mission d'Île-à-la-Crosse en 1846. Il fait preuve d'une grande activité missionnaire : en 1851, dans le Dakota du Nord, vêtu d'un surplis et d'une étole, il s'interposa entre 2 000 combattants Sioux et 60 combattants Métis avec un crucifix. Après un siège de deux jours (le 13 et le 14 juillet), les Sioux prennent le large après l'avoir espionné, convaincus que le Grand Esprit protège les Métis. Il connaissait trois langues autochtones: le cri, le chipewyan et le sauteux. Il fut l'un des premiers explorateurs de l'archidiocèse de Keewatin.
Évêque
En 1866, il est choisi coadjuteur du diocèse trifluvien. L'année suivante, en 1867 il est nommé à la tête du diocèse d'Anthédon, aujourd'hui vacant. Il bénit la nouvelle église de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade en 1869. En 1870, il succède à Mgr Thomas Cooke, qui était décédé en fonction au moment du concile Vatican I. À partir de 1876, il est le chef des ultramontains au Québec, à l'instar d'Ignace Bourget. L'évêque Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau est de son côté plus libéral.
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Monsignor Louis-François Laflèche was born on September 4, 1818 in the village of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade to Louis-Modeste Richer dit Laflèche and Marie-Anne Richer dit Laflèche (née Joubin dit Boisvert). His family held the secondary surname of Laflèche because their ancestor, Jean Richer, was from an area in France called La Flèche, near Anjou.
Laflèche studied at the Nicolet Seminary College in Nicolet, Quebec from 1831 to 1839. Following his education, he taught classics and science while continuing courses in theology. He was ordained a priest on January 7, 1844.
In 1844, he headed a mission near the Red River of the North. As a missionary Oblate Laflèche educated himself in three Native American languages spoken in the North-Western Territory: Cree, Chipewyan, and Anishinaabe. He was the first to reduce the Chipewyan language to grammatical form.
In 1845, Chief Factor Roderick McKenzie wrote to Bishop Joseph-Norbert Provencher, of the Diocese of the North West, to request the establishment of a mission at Île-à-la-Crosse. In 1846, Oblate Father Alexandre-Antonin Taché and Laflèche founded the mission of Saint-Jean-Baptiste at Île-à-la-Crosse. The mission served as a base for Taché's extensive missionary travels to Green Lake, Reindeer Lake, Portage La Loche, and Fort Chipewyan. In 1849, Bishop Provencher recalled to Laflèche to Saint Boniface, intending to make him his coadjutor. Laflèche declined the position, arguing ill-health. Provencher then chose Taché. While the now auxiliary Bishop Taché continued his missionary work, Laflèche served as vicar general of the diocese and administrator during Bishop Provencher’s absences.
In 1851 he accompanied the Métis buffalo hunters of the parish of St. François Xavier located 25 km west of St. Boniface. The hunting party was made up of 67 Métis men, a number of women who came to prepare the meat, some small children and 200 carts. In North Dakota they encountered a band of Sioux. Lafleche dressed in his black cassock, white surplice, and stole, directed with the camp commander, Jean Baptiste Falcon, a defence against about 2,000 Sioux combatants, at the Battle of Grand Coteau (North Dakota). After a siege of two days (July 13 and 14), the Sioux withdrew, convinced that the Great Spirit protected the Métis.
When he returned to Canada in 1856, he taught mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy at the Nicolet Seminary College. He was appointed president of the college in 1859.
Diocese of Trois-Rivières
In 1866, Bishop Thomas Cook of Trois-Rivières selected Laflèche to be his coadjutor. The following year, he was elevated to be head of the diocese of Anthedon. In 1869, he blessed the new church of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade. While attending First Vatican Council in 1870, he was appointed Bishop of Trois-Rivières. He used his power and influence to interfere in the affairs of the Province of New Brunswick in an attempt to quash the passage of the Common Schools Act of 1871 that resulted in the Separation of church and state in the New Brunswick education system.
Bishop Laflèche authored five volumes of pastoral letters and two works concerning religion in the family and a discussion of the encyclical Humanum genus. In 1885, Leo XIII split his diocese, and he was forced to comply with this action and step down from his post. Following this, he became involved in the Manitoba Schools Question from 1890 to 1896, asking the help of Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau and Wilfrid Laurier. His concern was voiced in the encyclical Affari Vos of 1897.
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