Silver Lining
Just down the road from Cumberland (yesterday's post), is Rockland, the largest francophone city in North America outside of Quebec. No matter if you speak the language, when you first arrive, all you have to do is look for is a shiny silver steeple to find your way to the centre of the town or village. You will not be disappointed – even on a grey day – when you discover the spiritual heart of the town and Paroisse Très-Sainte-Trinité, a beautiful Dominican Church founded in 1889. A mere 27 years later, in 1916, the church succumbed to a terrible fire, but I am happy to impart that there is a silver lining to this sad situation: electricity. The rebuilt church and neighbouring rectory were among the first buildings in the area to have electrical power, thanks to locally operated Edwards lumber mill. In 2006 the church and its rectory were designated patrimonial cultural treasures.
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