GRAND-PRÉ, August 13, 2008 —
Every year since the late 1980s, one
week-end at Grand-Pré National Historic Site has been devoted to
Acadian history and culture. Although the scope of the “Acadian Days”
has varied over the years, they have always included a Sunday morning
mass celebrated in French. And every year for over 20 years, Father
Maurice LeBlanc has been coming to Grand-Pré to say mass.
As he admits himself, this annual pilgrimage is both
spiritual and personal. According to Father LeBlanc, “Grand-Pré is a
central place, a meeting place where you feel at home. Every time I
come to Grand-Pré, I think of my father. He was a true patriot and
always instilled in us the value of our Acadian heritage.” In fact,
his father, Dr. J. Émile LeBlanc (1890-1957), held senior executive
positions in the two Acadian organizations that, by the 1920s, were
very involved in the development of Grand-Pré as a commemorative site.
Father Maurice LeBlanc’s first visit to Grand-Pré goes
back to the summer of 1930. His father was very anxious to show this
famous place to his children. Unlike the majority of Nova Scotians, Dr
LeBlanc owned a car, so the family would not have to take the train to
Grand-Pré. Needless to say, the roads were not paved in the 1930s. The
LeBlanc family left West Pubnico at 5 o’clock in the morning in order
to arrive at Grand-Pré in time for a picnic lunch at noon. Dr LeBlanc
was behind the wheel, his wife Jeannette (née d’Entremont) sat beside
him and the two children, Roseline (9 years old) and Maurice (6 years
old), were in the back seat of the Model T Ford. The family of Dr
Amédée Melanson (1882-1930) from Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau joined the
pilgrimage. Mrs Julie (née Hamelin) Melanson, her four sons (Raymond,
Flavien, Guy et Émile), her sister Bernadette Hamelin and several
other friends drove in two separate cars.
As one can see, all the pilgrims arrived in time for a
picnic lunch under the giant weeping willow. The youngest in the group
were Roseline LeBlanc, a future public health nurse, and Maurice
LeBlanc, a future Eudist priest. The two families posed in front of
the Herbin Cross which seems even more imposing than it is today.
Part of the old gatehouse can be seen in the background. It was
replaced in the 1960s with the first Parks Canada visitor centre.
Over the years, thousands of families, Acadian and
otherwise, have made memorable pilgrimages to Grand-Pré. But how many
people have been coming back regularly to Grand-Pré for almost 80
years? Father Maurice LeBlanc is certainly a model pilgrim.
PHOTOS from the LeBlanc family archives (1) The LeBlanc
and the Melanson families picnicking under the willow tree in
Grand-Pré in 1930 (2) The LeBlanc and the Melanson families in front
of the Herbin Cross in 1930.
