June 1, 2023
Sudbury—St-Jean-Baptiste has been celebrated in the Greater Sudbury community since the early 1900s. However, since 1998, a committee made up of community organizations and the media has been organizing the celebration in a variety of formats. And this year, the committee is celebrating its 25th anniversary!
“In the early days, we organized a ‘fête champêtre’ (a fair), including a historic walk for elementary school students to showcase Sudbury’s Francophonie. To this tradition, we added a dinner and community celebration, which today includes multiple activities,” explains Lyse Lamothe, a member of the St-Jean committee since its beginnings.
Through the years, the Sudbury St-Jean has welcomed renowned artists such as Annie Broccoli, Arianne Moffat, Renée Martel, Corneille, Paul Demers, Damien Robitaille and many others. Over 40,000 Franco-Ontarians and Francophiles from Greater Sudbury have participated in the many activities offered through the years.
“Indeed, during the past 25 years, the community has enjoyed 150 different concerts, 3,000 sugar pies, 5,000 meat pies and 20,000 crepes, surrounded by good friends. The St-Jean-Baptiste celebrations also allowed the development of numerous partnerships and community projects. Moreover, the committee provided the community the ability to celebrate its culture through the St-Jean-Baptiste, a traditional francophone event,” adds Ms. Lamothe.
Today, the St-Jean festivities kicked off with a declaration from the mayor’s office and a concert for 1,500 French school board students at Grace Hartman Park. This year also sees the return of in-person activities such as Family Day, the soccer tournament, a traditional lunch, and the Renée Ray concert, to name but a few.
The Fête nationale des Canadiens français de Sudbury—the national celebration of French Canadians— is once again a huge community celebration in Sudbury. It will take place from June 1st to 25th, 2023. You can find the complete program of activities on the website at www.stjeansudbury.com.
The Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon offers a French-language Catholic Educational Program that is widely recognized for its excellence. The CSC Nouvelon provides a quality learning environment and academic program that runs from early childhood to adult education, with some 5,900 students enrolled in 27 elementary, 1 virtual school and 10 secondary schools.
Source:
Lyse Lamothe
705-670-2166
Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury
Source:
Paul de la Riva
Director of Communications and External Relations
Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon
705-673-5626, ext. 294
705-677-8195 (cell)