This study of new religious movements in Quebec focuses on nine groupsincluding the notoriously violent Solar Temple; the iconoclastic Temple of Priapus; and the various Catholic schisms, such as those led by a mystical pope; the Holy Spirit incarnate; or the reappearance of the Virgin Mary. Eleven contributing authors offer rich ethnographies and sociological insights on new spiritual groups that highlight the quintessential features of Quebec's new religions (sectes in the francophone media). The editors argue that Quebec provides a favorable ecology for alternative spirituality, and explore the influences behind this situation: the rapid decline of the Catholic Church after Vatican Il; the Quiet Revolution, a utopian faith in Science; the 1975 Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms; and an open immigration that welcomes diverse faiths. The themes of Quebec nationalism found in prophetic writings that fuel apocalyptic ferment are explored by the editors who findin these sectarian communities echoes of Quebecs larger Sovereignty movement. 

Susan J. Palmeris an Affiliate Professor in Religious Studies at Concordia University.

 Martin Geoffroy is Professor of Sociology at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.

 Paul L. Gareau is Assistant Professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

Chapter 1: Quebecs New Religions in Social and Historical Context.- Chapter 2: New Religious Studies in Quebec since 1944: A Literature Review.- Chapter 3: The Army of Mary: Quebec Nationalism and Catholic Heterodoxy.- Chapter 4: The Pilgrims of Saint Michael: Preserving Quebecs Traditional Intégriste Catholicism.- Chapter 5: La Mission de lEsprit Saint and Quebecs Holy Spirit Incarnate.- Chapter 6: Dr. Henry Morgentaler, Arch-Abortionist and Humanist: An Unbelievers Pro-Choice Campaign in Quebec and Canada.- Chapter 7: The Temple of Priapus: Contemporary Phallus Worshippers in Montreal.- Chapter 8: The Christian Essene Church: Freedom of Religion in the Land of the Maple.- Chapter 9: The Apostles of Infinite Love and the Hidden Children of St Jovite.- Chapter 10: The Solar Temple in Quebec and the Saint-Casimir Transit.- Chapter 11: Roch Theriault and the Holy Moses Mountain Family (Ant Hill Kids).