St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), Monday, September 12, 2016 -

The National Society of Acadia and its Acadian Odyssey Commission, in partnership with the heritage church friends Acadia conducted yesterday the unveiling of the 14th Acadian Odyssey monument. The ceremony was held in the Park of the Ancestors sector L'Acadie Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. For the occasion, a large audience and many guests and dignitaries came out.

The monument was unveiled in memory of the ancestors and founders of "L'Acadie", a city founded by Acadian emigrants fleeing deportation. This draft Commemoration of the Great Upheaval aims to highlight a tangible and permanent way, the Odyssey of the Acadian people in Canada on the North American continent and elsewhere in the world. It aims to commemorate the Great Upheaval, to raise awareness of the Acadian history and the culture as well as to the promotion of contemporary Acadie.

"Since 2005, we have erected and unveiled four monuments in New Brunswick, two in Nova Scotia, one in Prince Edward Island, one in Newfoundland and Labrador, three in Quebec and one in Louisiana and one in Miquelon "reported Jean Gaudet, President of the Commission of the Acadian Odyssey which is responsible for the international commemoration of the Great Upheaval.

"It goes without saying that the Great Upheaval was a tragic event that changed the course of history of the Acadians. Since then, the Acadian people have shown perseverance, creativity and solidarity and they bring dynamism and diversity wherever they are found in Canada and around the world. The international commemoration of the Great Upheaval project allows Acadians to assert themselves and to argue as a model of a community that has shown resilience and determination, "said Mr. René Cormier, president of the National Society of Acadia. At the same time, the Friends of the Heritage Church of "Acadia" [Amis de l'église patrimoniale de " L'Acadie ] unveiled a mural evoking three important parts of local history and the first phase of restoration of the church of Sainte-Marguerite-de-Blairfindie .

The National Society of Acadia (SNA) is a nonprofit federation of four French associations spokesman for the Atlantic provinces and the four youth associations. SNA also has affiliates in Quebec, France and the United States. Its mandate is to represent the Acadian people on the Atlantic scene, national and international.

The Acadian Odyssey Commission mandated the International Commemoration of the Great Upheaval and Acadian Odyssey, awareness of history and Acadian culture and the promotion of Canada as part of this project.