Question

in 1657 a bishop was wanted for canada, and the sulpicians, like the récollets some years earlier, aspired to furnish that dignitary from their own order.
source: the canadian portrait gallery - volumes 1 to 4
in this sentence, dignitary means:
someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
a person skilled in testing for defects of vision
an important or influential person
a persistently annoying person

Explanation:

The context is about wanting a bishop and religious - order members aspiring to provide that individual. A bishop is an important religious figure. "Dignitary" generally refers to an important or influential person in a particular context like a religious or official one.

Answer:

C. an important or influential person