On May 18, 1675, the missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette passed away along the shores of Lake Michigan on his way back to the mission he founded in St. Ignace. To commemorate the 350th anniversary of his death, but more importantly his life and legacy, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University is hosting a “Father Marquette 350th Commemoration” on Monday, May 19, in 1100 Jamrich Hall. The event will feature full day of presentations, films and round tables about Marquette, the Jesuit Missionaries of the region and their legacy on our region today. It is free and open to the public.
Along with several presentations, there will be a keynote address from the noted Catholic scholar Bronwen McShea, a historian, writer, speaker, and artist based in New York City. In Spring 2025, she was the Teilhard de Chardin SJ Fellow in Catholic Studies at Loyola University Chicago. McShea is the author of Apostles of Empire: The Jesuits and New France, a history of the French Jesuit mission to indigenous North Americans in the 17th and 18th centuries, offering a comprehensive view of a transatlantic religious enterprise in which secular concerns were integral.
Here is the complete schedule of presentations for Father Marquette 350th Commemoration:
8 a.m.: “Father Jacques Marquette: the making of a North American hero”
- Daniel Truckey, Director/Curator, Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center, Northern Michigan University (NMU)
9 a.m.: "An Anishinaabe Perspective on Forced Christianization and the Native American Boarding Schools."
- Dr. Jud Sojourn, Assistant Professor of Native American Studies (NMU)
- Tyler Detloff, Director, Center for Native American Studies (NMU)
10 a.m.: “A Noble Figure: The Story of the Three Marquette Statues”
- Steve Brisson, Director, Michigan State Historic Parks
11 a.m.
Keynote Address: "The French Jesuits in Colonial North America"
- Dr. Bronwen McShea, Historian
Lunch Break
1:30 p.m.: "Father Marquette Monuments in the United States"
- Dr. Russ Magnaghi, Professor Emeritus of History, Northern Michigan University
2:30 p.m.: "The Unsolved Mysteries of Father Marquette's Many Graves"
- Jennifer McGraw, Historian
3:30 p.m. Showing of the film, “The Return”
- Roundtable discussion on the film, "The Return" about Father Marquette's remains being returned to St. Ignace, featuring: Daniel Rydholm, M.Div, official historian for "The Return" (06/18/2022; St Ignace); Jon Magnuso of The Cedar Tree Institute; and Russ Rickley, Tribal Elder, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians