Bishop Émile Legal was born October 9, 1849 in Saint-Jean-de-Boiseau, Loire-Atlantique, France from Julien Legal and Perrine David. He studied at the Catholic secondary school and the seminary, in Nantes. There, he cultivated an interest for French religious architecture. This hobby would prove very useful later in life. He followed classes at Machecoul College and at the University of France. Bishop Félix Fournier, the diocesan of Nantes, ordained him priest June 29, 1874. He was posted to the Saint-Stanislas ecclesiastical college of Nantes as a mathematics professor. He also taught math in 1878 at the Guérande seminary. Bishop Legal spent his vacation time by visiting western France and observing its architecture.
Although he lacked enthusiasm for teaching, Bishop Legal was so well appreciated by students and staff that he had to struggle to obtain a reliever for his post so that he may become a missionary. He entered the Nancy noviciate on August 19, 1879 to be forcibly expatriated with all illegal religious congregations by the Jules Ferry laws. The event hastened his planed departure for North America where he completed his novitiate at the Oblate residence in Lachine, Québec. He pronounced his religious vows on September 24, 1880. He was now a missionary for life as he had dreamed.
Winter prevented Bishop Legal from leaving immediately for the faraway St. Albert diocese. He worked successively for the Church in Plattsburg, New York, at Lake Champlain, and at the Saint-Pierre-Apôtre de Montréal church. He also served the Holy Angels parish in Buffalo, New York where he improved his English.
During the spring of 1881, Father Legal made his way to Bishop Grandin’s mission with other ebullient clergymen. At the time, the Canadian Pacific Railway did not yet reach Calgary so the trip from Saint Boniface had to be done on foot and in canoes with the help of Métis guides. The journey lasted about a hundred days.
Soon enough, Bishop Grandin sent Father Legal to the Blackfoot missions, south of Calgary, and at the foothills of the Rockies. His mission consisted of evangelizing the Blackfoot of Bow River, the Kainai of Belly River, and the Peigan of Pincher Creek. He served a minimal Catholic population. With little money and few human resources, individual missionaries often had to serve populations well spread-out that they could only visit periodically. This task was made competitive by the growing presence of Protestant missionaries.
His tasks were varied; school master, architect, cook, doctor and gravedigger. Father Legal planed and built missions, residences, churches and schools. Alone or with the help of another missionary, he was always up to task. He baptised hundreds of First Nation children and taught hundreds more during his years spent and his visits at Calgary/Bow River (1881-1886) and Fort Macleod (1882-1884). Father Legal even founded the Peigan mission at Brocket (1883-1889) and he visited Pincher Creek (1884-1889) where he built a church. Afterwards, he served the Blood Reserve (1889-1897) where he was an educator and where he built a school and a hospital.
His hard work in these inhospitable missions would be rewarded in 1897 when Bishop Grandin named him his coadjutor.
During the spring of 1881, Father Legal made his way to Bishop Grandin’s mission with other ebullient clergymen. At the time, the Canadian Pacific Railway did not yet reach Calgary so the trip from Saint Boniface had to be done on foot and in canoes with the help of Métis guides. The journey lasted about a hundred days.
Soon enough, Bishop Grandin sent Father Legal to the Blackfoot missions, south of Calgary, and at the foothills of the Rockies. His mission consisted of evangelizing the Blackfoot of Bow River, the Kainai of Belly River, and the Peigan of Pincher Creek. He served a minimal Catholic population. With little money and few human resources, individual missionaries often had to serve populations well spread-out that they could only visit periodically. This task was made competitive by the growing presence of Protestant missionaries.
His tasks were varied; school master, architect, cook, doctor and gravedigger. Father Legal planed and built missions, residences, churches and schools. Alone or with the help of another missionary, he was always up to task. He baptised hundreds of First Nation children and taught hundreds more during his years spent and his visits at Calgary/Bow River (1881-1886) and Fort Macleod (1882-1884). Father Legal even founded the Peigan mission at Brocket (1883-1889) and he visited Pincher Creek (1884-1889) where he built a church. Afterwards, he served the Blood Reserve (1889-1897) where he was an educator and where he built a school and a hospital.
His hard work in these inhospitable missions would be rewarded in 1897 when Bishop Grandin named him his coadjutor.
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