Contributed by Acadian Archives
- MMN #116313
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Description
This collection consists of one postcard possibly depicting a men's retreat at the St. Louis Church in Fort Kent. The altar confirms that this is the church completed in 1911.
Records indicate that Fort Kent's first Roman Catholic church was built in 1860. For a decade, it operated as a mission of Frenchville and St. Francis. The parish of St. Louis was officially founded in 1870. On October 1, 1875, it received its first resident pastor, Fr. Cléophas Demers, who was responsible for building a larger wooden church in the 1880s. Fire destroyed the structure on March 30, 1907. Parishioners relocated to a temporary chapel. The present structure was built between 1909 and 1911 during the pastorate of Arthur Décary.
The priest at the pulpit may be a guest preacher, a priest's assistant, or any one of the pastors who served the parish during this period: Arthur Décary (1904-1919); Raoul Bourbeau (1919-1925); Joseph A. Normand (1925-1934); or Aimé Giguère (1934-1951).
The church attests to the significance of the Roman Catholic faith to people of Acadian and French-Canadian descent in the Upper St. John Valley. Priests invited religious orders from Quebec to teach in local public schools and the present-day Northern Maine Medical Center was founded by the pastor of St. Louis and originally had a religious vocation.
The postcard's publisher might have been H. A. Sawyer, a local businessman who sold photographic prints at his jewelry store. Other Fort Kent postcards dating from this era bear his name.
About This Item
- Title: St. Louis Church, Fort Kent, ca. 1911
- Creation Date: 1911
- Subject Date: 1911
- Location: Fort Kent, Aroostook County, ME
- Media: Postcard
- Dimensions: 8.7 cm x 14.0 cm
- Local Code: MCC-00011
- Collection: Saint Louis Church (Fort Kent, Me.) postcard
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Catholic churches--Maine--Fort Kent
- Churches--Maine--Fort Kent
- Postcards
- Saint Louis Catholic Church (Fort Kent, Me.)
People
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Acadian ArchivesUMFK, 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743
(207) 834-7535
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
More to Consider
Item 9857
St. Louis Catholic Church, Fort Kent, ca. 1920
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