Successful Initiatives 201

According to the Catholic liturgical calendar the month of November is dedicated to the memory of the dead. The first of the month is All Saints’ Day. It used to be a holy day of obligation. It is followed by All Souls’ Day which was also celebrated in church by most parishioners. The collection for the day paid the honorarium for the Masses for the souls in Purgatory. Sometimes the priest and the faithful went in procession to the cemetery to pray for deceased parishioners. In some parishes farm produce, handcrafts and various items donated by parishioners were sold at an auction following Mass. The proceeds were turned over to the priest’s fund again to pay for the Masses for the souls in Purgatory. According to popular belief amongst the Acadians of the time, the souls of the dead returned to earth on All Souls’ Day. As a result you were not supposed to plough on that day for fear of hurting them.

The Feast of the Assumption

The main national event in 1893 took place in the parish of Bloomfield, an event which was a great success according to the newspaper Le Moniteur Acadien:

...The music was under the direction of R.M. Gallant and Professor F. Pitre, both skillful and distinguished musicians. One would have to go to the large cities of our country in order to hear a stronger and a better trained choir than the one we heard during Mass. A powerful orchestra, conducted by R.P. Arsenault, gave added splendor to the circumstance. A twenty piece band rang out joyful tunes before and after holy Mass...

After Mass, a procession took place, composed of the band, the societies of the League of the Cross and of the Holy Family from Tignish and Bloom- field along with the Assumption Society from Tignish.

At noon there were at least three thousand people on the grounds, and the tables and different amusements were very well patronized. During the afternoon there were speeches given by Mssrs. Perry, Howland and Arsenault. At six o'clock, the gathering dispersed to the majestic sounds of Ave Maris Stella... (TR)

Le Moniteur Acadien, August 22, 1893