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This artefact belongs to : © Musée acadien of the Université de Moncton

Drawing
About 1900, 19th century or 20th century
50.5 x 40.5 cm
Gift of M. & Mme Edmond Gray
73.3.7
This artefact belongs to : © Musée acadien of the Université de Moncton

Keys to History:

Education was an important issue in the thinking of many Acadian men and women. Notable among them was the Abbé Marcel-François Richard (1847-1915), a priest who did not hesitate to condemn injustice wherever he found it. Thus he was at the forefront when the time came to protest against the provincial school laws enacted in 1871.

According to Father Richard, "education, in our day, is a more powerful tool than ever, and all peoples rightly regard it as vital to their national life". (1881)

The passing of the Schools Act of 1871 threatened the very existence of Catholic schools, and thus had a direct effect on education in New Brunswick. Father Richard felt he had to act. He was the first Acadian to establish an institution of higher education in New Brunswick, a boys' secondary school with a classical curriculum. It opened its doors in 1874 in the parish of Saint-Louis, where Father Richard was the parish priest.

What:

This is a drawing of Marcel-François Richard, parish priest of Saint-Louis-de-Kent from 1870 to 1886.

Where:

Marcel-François Richard was parish priest in Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick, and later in Rogersville in the same province.

When:

Marcel-François Richard was born in 1847 and died in 1915.

Who:

Marcel-François Richard, seen here, was the youngest child of Pierre-Luc Richard and Marie-Tharsile Barriault.