Notre Dame du Sacré Cœur Parish / Notre-Dame
Established in 1817
First church : 1861
First priest : 1889
In 1918, Mr. John Armour was the first settler to receive a request for a land grant in Notre-Dame and he settled there six years later.
Pierre and François Bourque, two brothers from Beaumont in Memramcook parish, were the first Acadians to settle here around 1851. Later, old Laurent LeBlanc of Fox Creek and Pierrot LeBlanc of Memramcook, also settled here. They named the area ‘upper Cocagne River’ while others called it ‘French Irishtown’. In 1866 the post office was known under the name Scovil’s Mill and in 1901 it was changed to Notre-Dame.
Construction of a first chapel began around 1861. It was destroyed by strong winds and was never completed. In 1866, the first church was dedicated to Saint Peter; it was served by the priest of Cocagne, Fr. Jean-Marie Vanier. With the arrival of Fr. Honoré Ouellet, first resident priest from 1889-1897, the parish was dedicated to Saint Agathe.
A new church was built and in 1909, Most Rev. Thimothy Casey, bishop of Saint John blessed it and dedicated the new church to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. This church was destroyed by flames on July 30, 1945.
Construction of the present church, under the direction of Fr. Emery Doucet, began in 1950 and was completed in May 1951. Bishop Robichaud blessed the new church in 1951. It was later consecrated by Bishop Chiasson on July 7, 1985.