 However, much of Coquard early life and schooling took place in the village of Mesquer, where he attended the school of the Brothers of Christian Instruction.Then, at fourteen, Coquard enrolled in the merchant navy, where he first developed his love for the sea and desire to travel.Coquard recalled his years in the merchant navy fondly, writing many years later after becoming a missionary in Africa, “To see so many beautiful sailing ships in port and to chat with the crewmen makes going to sea irresistible for a twelve-year old boy from Mesquer.”

At the age of 24, while in Montevideo with the merchant navy, Coquard encountered the Sacred Heart Missionaries of Betharram, a group of Christian missionaries that ran a prestigious school.