In brief

A page of history turns

In the summer of 2016, a page of Ottawa history turns when the last Oblates of Mary Immaculate leave the Maison Deschâtelets, a place they occupied since 1885. “This house was at one time the soul of the French cause in Ontario,”1 recalls Father Pierre Hurtubise, OMI, who spent 40 years of his life there.

1 Patrick Duquette, “Le dernier Oblat à partir,” Le Droit, May 29, 2016 (translated from the original).

Colour photograph of an elderly man with white hair, standing in the center of a church, hands in the pockets of his pants. The building is simply decorated, with stained glass windows and a Way of the Cross.

A photograph of Pierre Hurtubise illustrating Patrick Duquette’s Le Droit article “Le dernier Oblat à partir” (The last Oblate to leave). Excerpt from remarks by Pierre Hurtubise: “What disturbs me most is that this whole story ends here ... My main concern, I tell you sincerely, is that the new owners do not know anything about our history.” (translated from the original). May 29, 2016. Photo: Martin Roy, Le Droit.

Le Droit, 160527 Pierre Hurtubise Oblat 004.