Charlottetown Diocese celebrates 175 years.Charlottetown -- On August 11, 2004, the 175th anniversary of the founding of Charlottetown Diocese was celebrated in the splendid Victorian Gothic Victorian Gothic refers to a revival style that used medieval architectural forms, and took place during the reign of the British monarch Victoria I. Her reign lasted from 20 June 1837 to 22 January 1901. Basilica of St. Dunstan. The presider was the present bishop, Vernon Fougere The Most Reverend Joseph Vernon Fougère, D.D. (b. 1943) is the twelfth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown, which is comprised of the entire Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. , and his concelebrants were two former Charlottetown bishops, Francis Spence, retired Archbishop of Kingston, and James H. MacDonald, retired Archbishop of St. John's, NL. Three other archbishops were in attendance--Prendergast of Halifax, O'Brien of St. John's, NL, and Richard of Moncton, together with Bishops Faber MacDonald of Saint John Saint John, city, Canada Saint John, city (1991 pop. 74,969), S N.B., Canada, at the mouth of the St. John River on the Bay of Fundy. A major year-round port, it has an excellent harbor, large dry docks, and terminal facilities and maintains extensive , NB, Raymond Lahey of Antigonish, and Martin Currie of Grand Falls Grand Falls, cities, Canada Grand Falls. 1 City (1991 pop. 6,083), W N.B., Canada, on the St. John River. The nearby falls in the river and its 1-mi- (1.6-km) long gorge attract many visitors. The falls power a large hydroelectric development. , NL. Among the symbolic gifts brought forward in procession before the Mass began were Fruits of the Earth and Fruits of the Sea--appropriate for a diocese whose crest features a ship under sail having the sails spread. (Naut.) With anchor up, and under the influence of sails; moved by sails; in motion. With sails set, though the anchor is down. Same as See also: Sail Under Under Under . Given Bishop Fougere's ancestry, it was not surprising that some of the prayers, hymns, and invocations were in French, including a Communion hymn, "Pain de Dieu, Pain de Vie," begging Christ to sow love in our hearts. Three congregations of nuns were given special recognition because of their long service in the diocese--the Sisters of Notre Dame There are several Roman Catholic religious orders religious sisters known as the Sisters of Notre Dame.
Two people were singled out for a special honour--the presentation of a papal medal in gold, the benemeriti award. One was Mary Roche of Charlottetown, the other Edouard Blanchard of Rustico. All in all, the anniversary was celebrated in a most impressive and suitable way. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion