Lower North Shore · Eudist Mission
Gérard Labrie in Blanc-Sablon
On the outskirts of the North Shore, the young Eudist priest discovered a fishing community isolated from its neighbors and cut off from the outside world.
Born in Saint-Cyprien in 1911 and ordained in 1938, Father Gérard Labrie joined the Blanc-Sablon mission after two years of teaching at the Bathurst College.
Learn more about his ministry ↓From Saint-Cyprien to the North Shore
An Unexpected Journey
Gérard Labrie was born on March 3, 1911, in Saint-Cyprien, in Témiscouata County. After completing his classical and philosophical studies at the Sacré-Cœur College in Bathurst, he continued his education at the Charlesbourg Seminary, where he prepared to become a priest and teacher.
Ordained a priest on February 8, 1938, by Bishop Patrice-Alexandre Chiasson, a Eudist and Bishop of Chatham, he taught for two years in Bathurst. His superior then asked him to join the Eudist missionaries on the North Shore. He thus set out for Blanc-Sablon, at the easternmost tip of the region.
Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon · Belle Isle Strait
A Mission at the Edge of the Territory
Located about 500 kilometers from Havre-Saint-Pierre, Blanc-Sablon was then the most remote mission of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. From the bay, one can see the coast of Newfoundland. The community had fewer than a hundred families, whose livelihoods depended mainly on fishing.
Many residents came from the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, the Gaspé Peninsula, and the Magdalen Islands. The remoteness of the area made contact with other communities and fellow clergy particularly rare.
View sources and correspondence ↓
Presence and Commitment
Caring for People
Father Labrie had been a priest for only two years when he arrived some 500 kilometers from his nearest colleague, the parish priest of Havre-Saint-Pierre. He first sought to get to know the residents, who themselves lived far from their loved ones and cut off from outside contact.
The community had few resources. The missionary dedicated himself to them in both the material and spiritual aspects of daily life, devoting his energies to the families of this isolated community.
The archive page also mentions the school, cod fishing, the rectory, and the church—all of which bear witness to the environment in which he carried out his ministry.
To document this page
Sources and Correspondence
This page summarizes and provides context for elements from the historical page dedicated to Father Gérard Labrie in Blanc-Sablon. The photographs are credited to BAnQ or the Eudist Archives, depending on their original captions.