A century-old statue honouring a Catholic priest known for his work supporting French-language education in New Brunswick has been returned to its base after being pushed over in an apparent act of vandalism.
A statue of Père Camille Lefebvre was erected in in the Village of Memramcook, New Brunswick, in 1914. Sculpted in bronze by artist Philippe Hébert, it commemorates Lefebvre, the founder of Collège Saint-Joseph and a key figure in French-language education in Acadia.
Lefebvre was born in Quebec in 1831 and died in Memramcook in 1895.
The statue stood in the centre of the village for about 112 years before an unknown individual or individuals pushed it off its base sometime between 7:35 p.m. on Aug. 25 and 8:10 a.m. on Aug. 26, RCMP said in a statement. …