The Hidden Way: The Life and Influence of Almire Pichon

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Almire Pichon (1843–1919) was a French Jesuit who was renowned as a
speaker and frequently called on to preach at retreats, particularly for
nuns. Also a confessor and spiritual director, he had a huge influence
on the Martin family of Lisieux (in particular Thérиse Martin, who
entered a Carmelite convent in 1888 at age 15 and died in 1897) and on
Thérиse de Salaberry, a Canadian who married Charles Archer, an
English-speaking lawyer from Montreal.

Thérиse Martin authored a spiritual autobiography. After her death,
she won fame for miraculous healings prayed in her name; eventually, she
was canonized by the Pope. Thérиse Salaberry became the mother of
Pauline Archer, who married Georges Vanier, Canada’s well-loved
governor general. Pauline herself had five children, one of whom, Jean
became the founder of L’Arche, a refuge for those with special needs.

Coady’s book, based on a wealth of secondary as well as archival
sources, makes a convincing case that Father Pichon was a significant
figure whose influence flowed on quietly, but strongly, from generation
to generation.