REV. FRANCOIS XAVIER GALLANT

Father Francois Xavier Gallant became Pastor in 1888. He was born at Rustico, Dec. 4, 1858 the son of Pierre and Appoline Gallant. He received his primary education in the local schools and pursued his studies at St. Dunstan's College. He completed his secondary and theological studies in Rome, and was ordained a priest on Sunday, January 12, 1884 by Bishop MacIntyre, Bishop of Charlottetown. He was named Professor at St. Dunstan's and held pas- torates at Hope River from 1888-1891 and at St. Anthony's Parish of Bloomfield for thirty years until 1921 when he was named Pastor of St. Philippe and St. Jacques Parish of Egmont Bay. He retired in 1940, died on December 15, 1942 and is buried in the cemetery at Egmont Bay. Father F.X. Gallant was the first Acadian fromRustico to be ordained a

priest.

{a i 27%

Rev. cat's-Xavier Gallant

REVEREND JAMES AENEAS MACDONALD

The next Pastor to serve Hope River was Father James Aeneas MacDonald who was Pastor from 1891 until 1903.

A good source of information on Father James Aeneas is the memorial volume on the Scottish Catholics 1772-1922. On page 115 we read:

"Reverend James Aeneas MacDonald was born at Pisquid in the parish of St. Andrew's. He made - . his classical course at St. Dunstan's College and Rev JWxAMacDO'Wd took up the study of Theology at the Grand Seminary of Montreal. He was ordained priest in the Cathedral at Charlottetown by Bishop MacIntyre on December 22 in 1867. He had charge of various missions throughout the diocese, notably Cascumpec, Brae, Lot 11, Kelly's Cross and Hope River. He died at the Charlottetown Hospital August 9, 1913 and was buried in the cemetery at St. Andrew's."

There is also information in MacMillan's History; on page 270 he tells us that Father James Aeneas was appointed Assistant at Vernon River shortly after his ordination in 1867. By October of 1868, Father James Aeneas was the resident priest at Cascumpec. Father James Aeneas was responsible for building churches at Bloomfield and Alberton just before he was transferred to Kelly's Cross in 1877.

96