Paroisse Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart Parish) in Saulnierville was founded in 1880 by Father Jean-Marie Gay; in 1890 it split away from the mother parish, St. Mary’s Parish in Church Point (Paroisse Sainte-Marie à la Pointe-de-l’Eglise). Since then, Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) Parish has almost always been overseen by the fathers of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, (Eudist priests).
Église Sacré-Coeur dates from the founding of the parish (1880). It is currently the oldest parish church in the Clare region (one of the few parish churches to have escaped the ravages of fire). It was built entirely by the parishioners who gave generously of their time and scarce financial and material resources. The church went through a number of renovations, the most recent from 1977 to 1979, under the leadership of pastor Claude Côté, CJM to mark the centenary of the parish in 1980. Further renovations were made from 2007 to 2012.
Saulnierville Parish (Sacré-Coeur) built the first consolidated school west of Halifax, under the direction of the pastor, Father Thomas Castonguay, CJM. The school was named École Jean-Marie Gay in honor of the first pastor. In 1948, Father Castonguay was able to obtain the services of the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus, the first religious community (speaking) teachers to settle in the Archdiocese of Halifax. Les Filles de Jésus (the Daughters of Jesus) have worked tirelessly in the parish.
Saulnierville Parish encompasses the villages of Lower Saulnierville (Bas-Saulnierville), Saulnierville, Meteghan River – northeast of the bridge (La Butte), and the inland communities of St. Benoni, Bangor, Saulnierville Station, parts of Meteghan Station and Eel Lake.
The parish cemetery is located on the Eustache Comeau, adjacent to the Parish Hall.
Some of the material translated from the Saulnierville Parish website. Link to Parish website: http://paroissesacre-coeur.com/index.html
