André D. Cormier (1854-1928)

Father André D. Cormier (1854-1928) was the founding president of the Memorial Church Committee. While he was president, the memorial church as built, a statue of Our Lady of the Assumption was purchased, the Deportation Cross was erected, a bust of Longfellow was acquired, and numerous Acadian pilgrimages to Grand-Pré were organized.

After serving as professor and administrator at Saint Joseph’s College in Memramcook and chaplain at Dorchester Penitentiary, Father Cormier left the Congregation of the Holy Cross Fathers in order to serve as parish priest in British Columbia. When he returned to New Brunswick in 1919, he took part in the negotiations that resulted in the acquisition of the property in Grand-Pré.

As president of the Memorial Church Committee, Father André D. Cormier organized several fundraising campaigns. In 1922, 5,000 copies of Placide Gaudet’s historical booklet called Le Grand Dérangement (The Great Upheaval) were published. In 1923, he had 25,000 copies of an engraving of the memorial church published. Members of the various branches of the Société mutuelle l’Assomption in the Maritimes were encouraged to buy a copy of the engraving for 10 cents in order to purchase a statue of Our Lady of the Assumption, patron saint of the Acadians. Father Cormier also organized a campaign to sell portraits of the statue for 15 cents a piece with the profits going to Grand-Pré.

In 1936, a portrait of Father André D. Cormier was unveiled in the memorial church to commemorate his outstanding contribution to Grand-Pré. In 2009, the Société Promotion Grand-Pré created the André D. Cormier Certificate in order to honour a person who has made an exceptional contribution, beyond his or her professional contributions, to the outreach and sustainability of Grand-Pré National Historic Site of Canada.

Back