Category News

While local Acadiana may find this August 15^th quiet, celebrations and dedications are being observed with fanfare elsewhere. Honoring their Roman Catholic faith in commemorating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, Acadians chose August 15^th as National Acadian Day in 1881.

Fête-de-Dieu du Mississippi and Congrès Mondial Acadien 2024, are drawing Acadians to the Mississippi River and to Nova Scotia, Canada his year.

Ten years ago, a new tradition, Fête-de-Dieu du Teche, was created on the waters of the Bayou Teche.  This tradition reflects the importance of the Catholic Church’s Blessed Sacrament, particularly the Acadians’ dedication to Mary, and the Acadians arrival in Southwest Louisiana in 1765. This year the waterborne procession carries the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of the Virgin Mary’s Assumption on the Mississippi River, designated as  Fête-de-Dieu du Mississippi. The two-day journey begins on August 14 at 8am Mass in St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge and ends the next day at the St. Louis Basilica in the New Orleans French Quarter.  The amazing story of this momentous voyage of devotion is available at https://www.fetedieuduteche.org/fete-dieu-du-mississippi.

The Congrès Mondial Acadien is held every 5 years alternating with Canada and Acadiana in Louisiana. This year’s Congrès takes place in Southwest Nova Scotia, Aug 10 – 18, 2024.  This international celebration of Acadian culture began 30 years ago and this year’s festival is sure to be as wonderful as the first one in Moncton, New Brunswick.  Events include family reunions, cultural programs, plenty of Acadian music, and of course good food.  Visit the Congrès’ website at https://cma2024.ca/en/ .

The Acadian Memorial Foundation wishes all Acadians everywhere in the world a safe and joyous August 15^th.

Induction of Henry J. Peterson, Jr. into the Acadian Museum’s Order of Living Legends on Sunday, July 28, 2024 was a well-deserved celebration.

Since 1997, the Acadian Museum in Erath has recognized and honored those individuals who help shape, define and preserve our Acadian culture. On July 28 the Museum joined with the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville to inducted into the Acadian Museum’s Order of Living Legends Henry J. Peterson, Jr.

Whether through his own database, now with over 750,000 individuals from the Acadiana region, or through genetic testing pathways, Peterson has tirelessly provided assistance to not only those interested in their rudimentary genealogy journey, but those longing to find relatives they never knew they had.  Peterson’s free genealogy site can be found at https://hpeterjr.us/

Warren Perrin had the honor of performing the induction, preceded by a blessing from Father Jason Vidrine

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]We have discovered a unique way to bring the story of “Evangeline” to Evangeline Parish through a scholarly  program developed by Dr. Elista Istre called “Evangeline: The Myth and the Maiden.”   This FREE program will help our patrons appreciate the unique fact that the namesake of our parish is Evangeline, the heroine in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie”.  The details of her mythical journey exemplify much of the cultural and historical experiences that shaped southern Louisiana and we feel that offering this particular program to our patrons will be of great interest, particularly to those who are unaware of Evangeline’s story or the reason her name was chosen for our parish.

Dressed in period costume to answer the question, “Who was Evangeline?” blends historical research with personal experiences,she sheds light on the creation, enduring legacy of Evangeline, the Acadian exile’s best-known heroine who never lived.  Retracing the literary evolution of Evangeline, this program will address how, why she became a important character in the Acadian saga, and with Louisiana Cajuns both adopted and rejected her as one of their own. She will illuminate why our Founding Fathers chose that name for a parish that they fought to wrestle from Imperial St. Landry in the early 1900’s.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

January 25 – “Genealogy 101” with the AMF Genealogy Committee

February 27 – Tour of the Acadian Memorial: Blanchard & Vincent Families

March 18 – 16th Annual Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival with guest speakers Warren Perrin, Dr. Istre and Vincent

April 5 – Field trip to Saint Luc French Immersion Campus in Arnaudville, LA with Mavis Frugé

May 6 – “Collecting Cousins: Starting a Family Organization” – A panel discussion with Gayle Breaux Smith & Marty Guidry

June 21 – “Acadian Genealogy: Original and Published Sources with a Brief History of the People” – R. Martin Guidry

July – TBA

August – TBA

September 20 – “Louisiana and the American Revolution” – Stephen Estopinal

October 4 – “The Last Acadian Coast” – John Doucet

November 8 – “Using the Family History Research Wiki” – Johanna Chapelle

December 6 – Holiday Workshop & Cookie Swap

THROUGHOUT THE DAY~ FESTIVAL HOURS: 9:45AM-3PM • free admission to the Acadian Memorial & the Cultural Heritage Center • antique car exhibit • wooden boat display • antique toys & games • free boat rides • arts, crafts, and book vendors • live Cajun music • 

16th Annual Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival & Wooden Boat Congrès – Opening Reception 

Date(s): Friday, March 17, 2023    Time  6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Venue:  Acadian Memorial & Evangeline Oak Park, 121 South New Market

The opening ceremony of the Festival will be held on the Friday evening and encompasses recognition of honored families, the L’Ordre du Bon Temps Grand Masters, the Acadian Memorial Foundation Members, and an art exhibition entitled “Acadian Heritage Portrait Series” by Ceci O’Keefe Neustrom.

Each year, two “families” exiled from Acadie/Nova Scotia, Canada who sought refuge in Louisiana are honored during the Festival.   This year’s honorees are from the Blanchard and Vincent families.

The L’Ordre du Bon Temps (Order of Good Times), is the first Social Club in North America, established in 1606 at Port Royal, Acadia, by Samuel de Champlain.  In 2006, the Acadian Memorial established a local Chapter of the Order and inducted its charter members and its first Grand Master.  The tradition continues to promote the history and culture of the Acadian forefathers.

Refreshments will be served.

16th Annual Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival & Wooden Boat Congrès

Date(s): Saturday, March 18, 2023    Time  9:45 am – 3:00 p.m.
Venue:  Evangeline Oak Park and surrounding area
Address: S. New Market Street
City: St. Martinville   State:  Louisiana       Zip:  70582

The Saturday event showcases Acadian history, culture, music and traditions. Several of the planned entertainment includes the wooden boat procession along the Bayou, and the “Re-enactment of the Arrival of the Acadians” to St. Martinville on the Bayou Teche by representatives of the Blanchard and Vincent families. Special guests include the International Acadian Festival of Plaquemines, Louisiana’s Queen Evangeline and her Princesses.

Many free activities will include genealogy assistance, a French language table for all levels (even non-French speakers), access to the Acadian Memorial & Acadian/African Museums. Also a French acting troupe named, “Theatre Cadien” will recount the historical story of an Acadian family’s memories as seen on the mural of “The Arrival of the Acadians to Louisiana.”, bringing the mural to life.

Concessions will include jambalaya, cracklins, boudin, fried fish, sweets, and beverages.

Craft, art, book booths will also be onsite. $25

Help support our Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival by becoming a sponsor!

DOWNLOAD OUR SPONSOR DONATION FORM (PDF)

Help support our Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival by becoming a sponsor!

DOWNLOAD OUR ARTS & CRAFTS, PUBLICATIONS VENDOR FORM (PDF)

The Acadian Heritage and Culture Foundation Inc. and the Famille Beausoleil Association announce a new fundraising effort to support the New Acadia Project.

The New Acadia Project (NAP) is an archaeological and historical initiative lau nched in 2013, that aims to locate and study Nouvelle Acadie – the original 1765 settlements of the first large group of Acadian exiles in Louisiana. Their descendants today comprise over 500,000 Cajuns in Louisiana and throughout the world.

NAP is spearheaded by University of Louisiana at Lafayette archaeologist Dr. Mark Rees. Dr. Rees and his students conducted the 2003 Amand Broussard archaeology research project near Loreauville, Louisiana, where Acadian artifacts dating from the 1780s were unearthed. Amand Broussard was the son of Acadian hero and leader Joseph Broussard who was called Beausoleil.

The ultimate goal is to obtain recognition by UNESCO that Acadiana’s Cajun culture is deemed to be a part of the World Heritage Site–and have it linked to Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia,from where the Cajuns’ ancestors sought refuge from the ethnic cleansing begun by the British in 1755.

Join Ceci OKeefe Neustrom for a brief presentation of her Acadian Heritage paintings at the opening reception of the Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival in St. Martinville, LA on March 17, 2023 between 6-8 pm. Ceci tells the story of the Acadian diaspora through painting up-close and personal portraits of living descendants of the original Acadian settlers. Her visual depictions strive to share the personal story as well as the historical in highlighting Acadian strength and perseverance in face of extreme misfortune and persecution. The family names selected were included in a historical document from 1765, which appears to be the earliest known record with the names of the settlers. Neustrom outfits her descendants in period clothing and poses them in various classical positions. At the bottom of each oil portrait, she paints the family surname and crest. Please join us for the special viewing of these Acadian portraits.