This traditional time of year is called ``les fetes'' by Franco-Americans.
Memories of the Christmas holidays include Midnight Mass and serving
tortiere during revillon (Christmas Eve). Every year for the past eight years,
this column has highlighted some of the nostalgic memories of Franco-American
Christmases past.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Is everyone as happy as I am to celebrate the upcoming millennium?
Our very large Franco-American family has been listening to my plans for a
millennium reunion for more years than the news media have been reporting its
auspicious arrival.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
A recently published anthology of famous Maine writers just happens to
include a small section on Franco-Americans.
In ``The Maine Reader: The Downeast Experience from 1614 to the Present'',
editors Charles and Samuella Shain actually include a brief description about
the Franco-Americans in Maine as well as a short article by writer A. Poulin
Jr., who writes about growing up in Lisbon.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
An interesting explanation about the origins of the Franco-American ethnic
dish called ``toutiere'' or pork pie, is found in a fascinating family
cookbook called, ``Cooking With Maman.''
Although the cookbook is actually a special collage of family memories
taken from one very large Franco-American family, the story written about the
origins of toutiere is more traditional folklore than other colloquial stories
in the collection.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Love and devotion to the Roman Catholic Church and its sacred traditions is
part of the Franco-American ethnic identity and experience, but there is
always an element of surprise when discovering yet another example of how this
passion for faith is displayed.
In Brunswick, St. John the Baptist church (some would justifiably call it a
cathedral) is yet another tangible and extraordinary example of the religious
devotion of Maine's Franco-Americans. The church was founded in 1877, a time
when the tow
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It is really too bad that ordinary typeset cannot place the correct accent
marks on French names and words when printed in most English newspapers. As a
result, the name of Rhea Cote Robbins cannot receive justifiable tribute
because, as a writer, she has worked hard to explain her Franco-American
heritage to herself and to others.
Cote-Robbins deserves a lot of credit for her candid account of being
Franco-American. At 44 years old, she seems too young to write her somewhat
harsh life stories. Her
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Franco-Americans cherish family memories. Surely, they will enjoy the
beautiful musical videos produced by Lucie Therrien, the French American
performer from nearby Portsmouth, N.H. In fact, with ``les fetes'' (the
Holidays) coming up soon, her treasured Franco-American videos are a wonderful
gift-giving idea for people of all ages.
Therrien has produced three cultural videos. Her third video is all about
the fun and traditions of Franco-American festivals. ``Carnavals, Fetes et
Festivals Francopho
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Martin, Noah Emmanuel, born Oct. 2 to Eric Martin and Linda Roberts, Mast
Road, Falmouth. Grandparents: Mr. and Mrs. William Roberts, Hampton, Va., Mrs.
Anne Martin, Hanover, Jamaica, West Indies.
Maine's Acadians are special because of their French culture and history.
One of their most important characteristics is the faith they share.
Overwhelmingly, the religion of the Acadians who populate the northern
territory of Aroostook County is Roman Catholic. In fact, some residents claim
that as much as 93 percent of the population are Roman Catholic.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Why is it that the Louisiana Cajun cooking has such a widespread following
but the traditional Franco-American foods can barely be found in Maine? Both
cuisines have the same French roots.
Many Cajun recipes have French names peculiar to the Louisiana dialect.
Nevertheless, Cajun cuisine seems to sell while many Franco-American foods are
simply a part of ethnic nostalgia.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
An interesting discussion about cultural diversity surrounding death and
dying was conducted at a conference held last week in Freeport. In addition to
the Freeport conference, The Project for Death and Dying is conducting a
series of community focus groups in the Brunswick area to examine the
diversity about this fascinating issue.
Naturally, a group of conference participants quickly engaged in the
Franco-American cultural traditions on death and dying. Not surprisingly, this
conversation was qui
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic story of Evangeline is a beautiful but
difficult read. Although the story is undoubtedly artistic, the daunting prose
sometimes will upstage the simple love story.
Actually, Evangeline is a myth that defines a horrible occurrence that
happened in 1755, when the British threw the French Acadians out of Nova
Scotia. In Longfellow's epic, Evangeline and her beloved are tragically
separated during the Acadian explusion, and she spends the rest of her life
looking for h
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Perhaps it is a sign of resurgence in the Franco-American culture that
people want to know more about it. There just seems to be increased interest
in learning French and experiencing the traditions of the Franco-Americans of
Maine.
At the forefront of one effort to understand the culture is Jean
Fouchereaux, Ph.D., an associate professor of foreign languages and classics
at the University of Southern Maine.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It is safe to assume that many Americans, and only some Maine natives,
truly understand the importance of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842,
signed between the United States and Great Britain.
In northern Maine, however, the treaty is a significant piece of local
history. It has defined two distinct cultures.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
L'autumne (fall) is the time for making homemade relishes from vegetables
harvested in family's garden. In our Franco-American tradition, we think ahead
about the kind of customary relishes to make and serve with toutieres
(Franco-American pork pies). We prepare our relishes in anticipation of
serving toutiere during les fetes (the holidays).
Every Fall, we pull out family relish recipes, plus, research a few new
ones as well. I call this entire collection of diverse recipes our ``toutiere
relishes
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Some good-natured humor about Acadian French was discussed recently during
an interview with newspaper columnist and publisher of the St. John Valley
Times, a weekly publication with about 6500 circulation in Madawaska.
Don Levesque, 50, was born in the Acadian village of Grande Isle. Levesque
writes weekly in ``Mon Cinq Cents'' (My Five Cents). This column is noteworthy
because, arguably, it is a bilingual (French and English) colloquial,
pseudo-editorial and comment about what is generally going
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It is likely the air-riding balloonists who recently decorated the skies
over Lewiston must have commented on the majesty of one of the city's most
beautiful architectural sights: the impressive twin spirals of Saints Peter
and Paul Church.
A cathedral as historic as it is picturesque, Saints Peter and Paul tells a
great deal about Franco-American history.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, San ford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Over the years, readers have asked about the origins and use of ``herbes
salees'' (salted herbs). Generally speaking, this element of Franco-American
and Acadian cuisine consists of finely diced chives preserved in a salt brine.
Glass jars of some commercial varieties are available in many local grocery
stores.
In our home, we use them in place of ordinary table salt when cooking
sauces and some casseroles. About one tablespoon of herbes salees can be used
instead of one tablespoon of salt in mostr
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It is a mystery as to why there are so few Franco-American cookbooks to be
found.
Brooke DoJny, a reader from Sedgwick, writes, ``Would you be able to help
me (research) the subject of Franco-American foods like meat pie, salmon pie,
pork spread, blood sausage, poutrine, crepes, and maple taffy? All
delicious!''
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
French Jesuit priests recorded remarkable accounts about their missionary
work in Canada during the late 17th century. Many came from privileged lives
in France to live in the North American woods, where they worked side-by-side
with Indians, many of them Abenakis.
In fact, their missionary work in North America is so renowned that some
people in Maine and Canada actually think Jesuits are a totally French
religious order. ``Are there any Jesuits other than French?'', is a common
assumption made by
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Maine's St. John River Valley is a community with distinct Franco
characteristics.
This special place is essentially a linear shaped community that flows
along the Northern most territory of US Route 1, following the banks of the
St. John River as it winds along Maine's northern boarder with Canada. In
fact, New Brunswick, Canada is on one side of the St. John River and Maine is
on the other. This unusual winding boundary was created by a political deal
struck in 1842, called the Webster-Ashburton
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Asking for ordinary bread at an Acadian restaurant in the St. John River
Valley of Northern Maine takes a particular knowledge about a tasty local
buckwheat staple called ``ployes''. ``Rolls or ployes?'' is the first question
asked by the wait staff. If you answer, ``what?'', (or, ``qua?''), it's a dead
giveaway for being one of those ``from away'' types. ``Il n'est pas d'ici''
(not from around here)! If you don't want to act stupid when the question
comes up, you can try my special technique. Simply rep
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
An old Holman Day novel, brought to my attention by Kennebunkport resident
John White, provides excellent evidence of what life was like for Acadians who
lived along Maine's northern border with Canada, in the St. John River Valley,
in earlier decades. Recently, White found a 1912 edition of Day's novel, ``The
Red Lane'' while visiting a second-hand bookstore in Castine.
White believes his great-grandfather knew the Maine writer, Holman Day, in
Auburn. In fact, Day's home still stands on the corner
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
In the peaceful, colonial ambiance of the Springvale Library, sits an
exuberant head librarian named Marlene Michaud Parent. She pronounces her last
name with a pleasant French accent. Like the Springvale resident she is,
Parent is enthusiastic about the library and its resources.
This authentic New England clapboard building is an historic adornment to
the town's Maine Street.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Computer technology opens up a wonderful world of information to Internet
users who want to learn more about Franco-American and French Acadian history
and culture. There are several Internet web pages and ``chat rooms`` to
explore. In particular, the search for information about Acadians and the folk
heroine, Evangeline, are quite interesting to investigate.
For example, at one web site, there is a ``story behind the story'' by Liz
Melching describing how the epic story ``Evangeline`` became the e
Staff writers Peter Pochna, Jack Beaudoin, Beth Kaiman, Sarah Ragland
and Edward D. Murphy contributed to this report.
As thousands of people on Portland's Eastern Promenade watched Friday
night, the city's Independence Day fireworks display abruptly exploded on the
ground, hurting three employees of Atlas Advanced Pyrotechnics and leaving
spectators stunned.
The explosion also caused a dozen grass fires Friday night.
Memo: with two sidebars fireworks
Caption: PHOTO: 2 color
Courtesy WGME-TV\ This image taken from TV footage shows
the explosion of fireworks that ended the Fourth of July show on
Portland's Eastern Prom just minutes after it started. Three people
were injured in the blast.
Rescue personnel lead an unidentified injured man from the scene of
Friday night's fireworks explosion on the Eastern Promenade.
Franco-American cookbooks are rare to non-existent on area bookstore
shelves. Some do exist, but usually they are handed down from one generation
to another because they are generally not printed in any large volume amounts.
Also, of the several Franco-American cookbooks available, most are purchased
via word of mouth through church bazaars as fund raisers.
One cookbook published recently by Therese Goodall, a resident of British
Columbia, Canada, is available, and readers have requested more info
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It is likely a result of the Franco-American tradition to host summer
family reunions that requests for information about genealogy appear to
increase at this time of year.
Of course, it is rather obvious that the best time to begin constructing a
family tree is at a family reunion. There is no better genealogy resource than
a scribe armed with a pencil and paper and makes people rounds to ask the
simple questions: ``Who was your mother and father?'' ``When and where were
they born?'' ``When and wh
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Daniel Acuna, Siri Anderson, Gregory Angus, Patricia Arnold, Alice Balkin,
Jared Beers, Catherine Briggs, Virginia Brooks, Joshua Burnett, Alyssa
Caldwell, Marc Cogswell, Patrick Connolly, Joshua Cookson, Rochell Corby,
Julia Crotty, Erica Davis, Sarah DeLisio, Robert Desfosses, Thomas Dowd,
Timothy Downs, Richard Eddy, Alicia Estes.
Times have certainly changed, but the work and mission remains vital for
the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (scim), better known as the Good
Shepherd Sistes of Quebec.
The religious order of French-speaking nuns came to Biddeford Pool more
than 50 years ago to work largely with needy French girls working in area shoe
factories and textile mills. Although times and mores have changes since the
1930s, when being single and pregnant was a social stigma, the work with young
women is arguably
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Surprisingly quiet pockets of Franco-American ethnic pride are at work in
Maine even in the midst of rapid assimilation of the culture into the American
mainstream.
One primary example is the landmark St. Augustine Roman Catholic church in
Augusta, where 75 percent of the congregation is Franco-American, and at least
one Mass on Sunday continues to be said in French. In fact, even as recently
as the middle 1970s, virtually all Masses at St. Augustine were said in
French, says Father Lionel Chounard
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It must be a curiosity to visitors, especially those coming to Maine for
the first time, to see the effect of French names hanging on billboards and
business signs displayed on nearly every major route and back road in the
state.
Names like ``Lafrance Auto,'' ``Dubois Drywall,'' or ``LaPage Upholstery,''
and dozens of others are common trademarks to those who use these services
regularly. Visitors ``from away,'' however, are likely to find these names
charming and even unusual. They could understan
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Danny Menard, a reader from Memphis, Tenn., comments on how little is known
about New England's Franco-Americans, particularly during this 150th
commemorative year of Longfellow's epic poem, ``Evangeline``, a tale of
Acadia.
``I was wondering if the people in your area were doing anything special
for the anniversary of `Evangeline.' There was a big write-up in the St.
Martinville, La., paper. We know so little about Franco-Americans in your area
(New England), although we know more about the French
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Franco-American women are the silent carriers of the culture. Nevertheless,
as a group, these unsung heroes of their families and their Roman Catholic
faith have kept a nearly invisible profile. Now there is a project afoot to
reclaim, for Franco-American women, what history and culture are eroding over
time.
Rhea Cote-Robbins of Brewer, and Lanette Landry Pretrie of Bradley are
working with a group of Franco-American women on several projects that will
tell these women's stories. The Franco-Americ
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Genealogy enthusiasts will want to visit the annual La Kermesse festival
(June 26-29) in Biddeford. Every year, the Franco-American Genealogy Society
of York County sponsors a booth at ``Kermesse.'' This year, the Society will
display information about other immigrant groups in addition to
Franco-Americans.
``Immigrants to the U.S.'' is the genealogy booth's theme this year. The
Society is asking for information about any first-generation immigrant from
families who can provide knowledge about the
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Franco-American mothers will quietly cue up with their esteemed peers from
around the country when they collectively and politely bask in the limelight
of upcoming Mother's Day. By and large, Franco-American women shy away from
accolades. It is part of their culture to avoid praise and to malign those who
act praiseworthy!
Nevertheless, Franco-American women are the quiet heroes of the culture.
Throughout the Franco-American history in North America, dating back to the
16th century, the women have
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Maine's Franco-Americans usually have a tough time making it big in high
political circles. At least one, however, was recently seen rubbing elbows
with President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton at a recent White House
state dinner honoring Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his wife,
Aline.
Augusta lawyer Severin Beliveau and his wife Cynthia were lucky enough to
be on the prestigious invitation list for the black-tie dinner held April 8 at
the White House in Washington. Beliveau is one
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Many people continue to be unaware that French history in North America
rivals that of the English during the European colonization period. Both
groups of these 16th century European explorers and early settlers wanted to
settle the land and establish their Christian religion here as well.
The French, of course, fought to bring Catholicism to the New World, while
the English were just as zealous to push Protestantism.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Calvin Coolidge, a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander and a past American
president, once said, ``The business of America is business''. Legislation
recently introduced to the Maine Legislature will advance this theory to
include the business of economic ties between the state's Franco-American
community and the rest of the French-speaking world.
Senator Judy Paradis of Frenchville, Representative Joseph Brooks of
Winterport, and Senator John Jenkins of Lewiston, joined efforts to support LD
1603, ``Re
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It's interesting how the plight of the Acadians, who were brutally expelled
from Nova Scotia in 1755, still captures the attention of people everywhere.
While attending the 50th birthday party of a friend recently, the cordial cake
and coffee conversation focused on this very subject. ``How is it that
Acadians, who were largely expelled from Nova Scotia, wound up inhabiting the
Maritime Provinces of Canada?'', someone asked.
Although somewhere between 8,000-10,000 Acadians were deported from their
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Franco-American families are apparently enjoying the opportunity to
document their family histories. Based on the mail I receive, many are
enthusiastic about writing down their genealogies and recording stories about
their French heritage.
One of the largest Franco-American families in North America is the
Gosselin family. Recently, Lorraine Gosselin Harrison of Odessa, Texas, the
U.S. representative of the Association des Familles Gosselin d'Amerique, sent
a copy of a report documenting the large
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, San ford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
A recent column about the well-documented genealogy of the Cloutier family
brought some interesting responses from several descendents of this large
Franco-American clan. The Cloutier name is common among Franco-Americans
because the family traces its lengthy history back over 400 years to the late
1500s in France.bandoned. Quite likely, there are thousands of
Cloutier descendents throughout New England and North America to keep him
company.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Bill Bauer, a Fredericton, New Brunswick resident, recently sent a copy of
``A Tase of Acadie,'' a cookbook full of antique recipes made with somewhat
exotic ingredients. In the accompanying letter he writes, ``This cookbook was
translated from the French by my son. Frankly, these recipes do not sound all
that appealing to me, but the history of what these folks had to work with is
revealing.''
It is surprising how many people are interested in old recipes. Perhaps,
this is because nostalgia and hi
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Franco-American families take pride in their lengthy history. This pride
sometimes takes on a collegial rivalry, particularly when the French compare
their history with the English who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts well
after the French colonized Canada.
Sanford resident Conrad Joseph Cloutier, 76, was likewise amused by a
recent column about Franco-American family histories, many of which were
reported to date back to 1850. This is modern history for his Franco-American
family.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
My husband and I found a prominent French influence in America's Wild West
while touring amid the quaint adobe architectures of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Although it is always interesting to find pieces of French culture and
history tucked away in unexpected places, it was quite a surprise to find such
a story in the generally American Indian and Spanish cultural mix of Santa Fe.
The lovely Santa Fe Cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, is the
principal seat of the Diocese of New Mexico.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It is sheer pleasure to receive the many family biographies and
autobiographies sent to me by Franco-Americans who are writing about their
heritage. My files are proudly bursting with these family stories.
For example, the Gosselin family sends several biographies and family
stories. There is the wonderful factual story about the Gosselin family
homestead on Isle d'Orleans in Quebec, a place where every descendant of this
large family, who is presently living in North America, traces the root of
th
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
High honors: Adrian Almquist, Jake Colognesi, Jeannie Eisberg, Cooper
Friend, Matt Hoisington, Sarah Horvitz, Catrina Lindgren, Nina Porcelli, Jamie
Potter, Elyse Stoller.
Many Franco-American families are creatively passing their culture along to
their descendants. This can be a real challenge for the present generation of
Franco-Americans who may well be the very last ones who remember their long
line of ancestors who date as far back as the 16th century.
One excellent idea about how to pass along traditions to future generations
comes from Evelyn Johnson Waterhouse of Acton. Her Franco-American family
published ``Cooking with Maman Marie-Anne.'' It is a delightful
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
A recent inquiry from a New Hampshire French teacher is yet another
reminder about how difficult it is to find information about the
Franco-American culture. Thankfully, there are some resources around, even if
they are hard to locate, at first.
Ruth Ann Henderson Hasko writes, ``Would you be able to recommend a book or
two that I could read? This is my first year teaching French at a New
Hampshire high school, and I want to obtain more information about
Francophones living in New England to incorp
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the epic poem, ``Evangeline: A
Tale of Acadie,'' the story of the 1755 brutal British expulsion of Acadians
from Nova Scotia.
Portland's famous writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published the hugely
successful poetic story in 1847, nearly 100 years after the 1755 expulsion by
the British. Evangeline's story has become part of the fabric of Acadian
culture.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Professor Emeritus Madeleine Giguere, 71, of Lewiston, retired in January
as the volunteer director of the Franco-American Heritage Collection at the
University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn campus. The value of her
dedicated work at the University during the past six years, to preserve the
French culture in the Lewiston-Auburn area and in Maine, cannot be
underestimated.
She became the volunteer director in 1990, after retiring as the head of
the Sociology Department at the University of Sou
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Many brave readers apparently attempted to cook our particular L'Heureux
family tortiere (pork pie) recipe after it was published just prior to les
fetes (the Christmas holidays).
After they read the column, it appears that some attempted to make the
traditional Franco-American pork pie for the first time, while others simply
tried our recipe because it differed from what they usually prepared.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
It's been a busy year and a half for Maine's youthful 47-year-old Auxiliary
Bishop Michael Cote.
Since being ordained a Bishop in the Roman Catholic Portland Diocese on
July 27, 1995, he has spent most of his time traveling and working throughout
Maine. He works largely with youth ministry programs and in a variety of local
parish programs. He is sometime's called Maine's Franco-American Bishop. He is
a French-speaking native of the town of Springvale.
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Attending Midnight Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy, is not a
uniquely Franco-American experience. There were apparently only a handful of
French-speaking people among the nearly 100,000 people who attended the
December 1995, highly traditional, Roman Catholic Christmas celebration with
Pope John Paul II celebrating.
Franco-Americans are largely Roman Catholics and a very high percentage
grew up in the traditions of the church while educated in parochial schools.
Experiencing Midnight Ma
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
Ordinary Americans know very little about Franco-Americans. This is largely
because it is rare to read stories about Franco-Americans written prior to the
1940s and World War II. A few diaries exist as well as some first-person
accounts, usually written in French, about the Franco-American experience.
One of the best English language accounts was written during the Great
Depression with government money used to fund the Federal Writers' Project, a
program of the New Deal's Works Progress Administra
Memo: Juliana L'Heureux's column about southern Maine's Franco-American
population appears Thursdays. She can be contacted by writing to: P.O.
Box 1023, Sanford, Maine 04073, telephone 324-7494.
