Marking deportation, Acadian descendants celebrate Nova Scotia Mass

Published: 2004-08-17

WOLFVILLE, Nova Scotia (CNS) -- Almost 250 years ago, the British deported thousands of Acadians who lived along the shores of the Bay of Fundy, an expulsion immortalized by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in "Evangeline." On Aug. 15, some 10,000 of their descendants returned to Nova Scotia, to what is now Grand Pre National Historic Park, for the closing Mass of the World Acadian Congress, which coincided with the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the French in Nova Scotia. "In the spring, the grand chief of the Micmac people expressed publicly his thanks that the French shared with his ancestors the Catholic religion," said Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who welcomed people to the Mass. "We, too, are grateful for all God's blessings, which have helped the Acadian people face the sorrows and joys that marked their history." Before inviting Halifax Auxiliary Bishop Claude Champagne to lead the prayer at the French Mass, Archbishop Prendergast said, "Today, we celebrate the Eucharist, our great act of thanksgiving. As we offer our gratitude for God's presence with us in the past, let us invoke God's love and peace on our future."

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