This is one EXTRAVAGANT church, for such a small community. It was built of local brick by local Acadian artisans in the Victorian Gothic style and has two bell towers at the front. If you find yourself in the Mont Carmel area in SW PEI, this is definitely worth stopping to see. Mont Carmel itself isn't more than a point on the map.
This church, located by the sea, was built in 1898, the third to be built on this site since 1812. The architect was Rene P. Lemay, the son of Pamphile Lemay, who had translated Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's influential 1847 poem, "Evangeline", in 1865. It is a registered historical site in the Province of Prince Edward /Island, though, unfortunately, the cemetery is not included in the registration.
The cemetery of Eglise Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel spreads out to the west of the church, extending to the shore of the Atlantic. The old section, nearest the sea, is filled with bright white markers topped with white crosses, while the newer section, nearest the road, contains more mundane contemporary markers.
Also in the cemetery is a World Wars monument in honour of the fallen of Mont Carmel and area, a stone triple arch erected in 1923. Behind the memorial is a stone building which is a type of mausoleum built over the grave of the church's builder. Dated 1928, it is a memorial to Father Pierre P. Arsenault, Priest of Mont Carmel for 31 years, who died November 22, 1927 at the age of 61 years.
In 1928, the Parish of Mont-Carmel asked Cagetain Arsenault if he would construct a small brick chapel above Father Pierre Paul Arsenault's grave. It would be a tribute to his memory, and its purpose would be to provide a safe and sacred space for those who died during the winter months and were awaiting burial in the spring.
From A Brief History of the Parish Church of Mont Carmel
Built primarily of cobblestones with white painted concrete trim, it has an arched roof with white concrete crosses at each corner and a fifth cross above the date stone at the peak of the roof over the entrance. Embossed black painted lettering over the entrance reads as follows:
A LA MEMOIRE DE L'ABBÉ PIERRE P ARSENAULT CURÉ A MONT CARMEL PENDANT 31 ANS DÉCÉDÉ LE 22 NOV 1927 À L'AGE DE 61 ANS R I P
(To the memory of Father Pierre P Arsenault, Priest of Mont Carmel for 31 Years, died November 22, 1927 at the age of 61 years.)
ERIGÉ PAR LES PAROISSIENS RECONNAISSANTS A LA MEMOIRE DE LEUR R'G'T CURÉ ET DE LEURS ANCÊSTRES
(Erected by the parishioners in grateful memory of their R'G'T [Regent?] priest and their ancestors.)
Father Pierre-Paul Arsenault was the one responsible for the construction of not only Notre-Dame du Mont-Carmel Roman Catholic Church in 1898, but also the accompanying presbytery, or rectory, in 1902.
Following are excerpts from the Father's biography.
ARSENAULT, PIERRE-PAUL
(baptized Peter Arseneaux), Roman Catholic priest, educator, farmer, and folklorist; b. 18 May 1867 in Tignish, P.E.I., son of Sylvain Arsenault and Tharsile Bernard, d. 22 Nov. 1927 in Mont-Carmel, P.E.I.
Pierre-Paul Arsenault was one of the prime movers of the Acadian community in Prince Edward Island early in the 20th century. One of ten children in a family of modest means, he grew up on a small farm and attended the local school. In 1884, through a bursary established in 1877 by Father Sylvain-Éphrem Perrey*, he was able to enrol at the Collège Saint-Joseph in Memramcook, N.B. While there, he distinguished himself not only by academic brilliance, but also by participation in sports and cultural activities.
Immediately after his ordination, Arsenault returned to his native parish, where he remained for nearly a year as assistant priest. He then moved to St Dunstan’s parish in Charlottetown; his service as assistant priest there lasted until October 1896, when he was appointed curé of the small Acadian parish of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel. He held this charge for the rest of his life. Because of his appealing and dynamic personality, he soon succeeded in bringing the parishioners together and carrying out major projects, including the erection of one of the most remarkable churches in the province, a neo-gothic structure designed by Quebec architect René-Pamphile Lemay.
Like many parish priests of the day, Arsenault worked a farm where he put into practice the best techniques of the day, and it served as a model for the farmers of his parish. To promote the agricultural movement, Arsenault also took part in local organizations. He played a key role, for example, in setting up the Prince Edward Island Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association in 1914, and was its first president.
The causes dearest to Father Arsenault’s heart were education for Acadians and promotion of the French language.
Arsenault also drew up the genealogies of the founding families of the parish of Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel and published them in 1912. He preserved a number of farm implements and domestic appliances which are now part of the collection of the Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island at Miscouche.
Pierre-Paul Arsenault’s health had been deteriorating for several years and he died at the age of 60. An enlightened leader and pragmatist with widely varied interests, he was one of the outstanding leaders of the Acadian community in Prince Edward Island. With his engaging personality, he was able to win the respect and admiration not only of his compatriots, but of all Islanders. The Summerside Pioneer, announcing his death on its front page, commented, “The whole province has sustained a heavy loss.” In the Mount Carmel cemetery, where he was buried, parishioners erected a magnificent monument in the form of a chapel, a fitting memorial for this man “of far-ranging and lofty ideas.”
From Biographi Canada