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Carhagouha and Sainte-Croix Church
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus
meek and humble of heart
The first church was built
in front of the one that stands today.
It was a wooden church, made of logs.
It was built in 1857.
The first people to die in Lafontaine,
were buried behind the church.
The first permanent priest was
Father Michel, who came here.
And it was he who had the current church built
because the settlers here we’re not rich,
but they needed a church.
So when the church was rebuilt,
in the days of Father Hamel,
we had to replace all the pillars
under the church.
That’s where we discovered,
while digging, we discovered the graves.
The shallow graves
were moved to the cemetery.
We didn’t know who they were.
All the pioneers of the parish are there,
but we don’t know who they are.
New Stained Glass
The stained glass windows in the church
were all one colour. They were yellow.
And they were simple, but were nice enough.
They were installed in 1924.
And they were very
they would rattle in the wind,
when it was windy out.
So they had to be replaced.
Since Carhagouha was in the parish,
we decided to depict Carhagouha.
The Carhagouha Historical Site
We could show Father Le Caron
celebrating mass in the middle window.
On the left hand panel, we showed
the Aboriginal people who were here.
They were Wendat.
Carhagouha was one of
the main Wendat villages.
On the right side stained-glass window,
we showed Champlain
There were 14 soldiers with him.
14 soldiers and Father Le Caron,
and Brother Sagard.
Father Le Caron and Champlain
announced in the villages
that there would be a gathering
at Carhagouha on August 12, 1615,
because, the village of Carhagouha
already existed with palisades
and a large cross.
Champlain and the soldiers built
an open air altar
and Father Le Caron said Mass.
So that’s what we chose for the center.
The first Mass West of Quebec in 1615.
It was the Recollets who were here.
There were several natives
who came to attend Mass.
On the right, the window on the right,
shows Champlain with
There were 14 soldiers with him.
That’s where Champlain and his 14 soldiers
built a log cabin to spend the winter.
At the same time, as you can see here,
there’s the French flag floating above the cabin.
That’s where Champlain
took possession of Canada for New France.
They landed at a site,
there’s a site on Penetang Bay,
but also, the Jesuit Relations say
they also landed at Thunder Bay.
Then, they weren’t far,
not too far from the village of Carhagouha.
Oh Jesus, oh Jesus
meek and humble of heart
put my heart, put my heart
very close to yours.