MISSION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST MISCOUCHE In the brave days of old when the lilies of waved over our Province which then claimed St. John the Baptist as its titular patron and was known to the world as He Saint Jean the Acadians and French population of the Island was divided into several parishes wherein the simple fishers farmers dwelt in peace and in the fear of God . Their religious necessities were ministered to by missionary priests provided by that far seeing policy which aimed at Christianizing as well as colonizing the inhabitants of the American possessions of his most Christian majesty the King of . In the year 1758 the stronghold of Louisburg was taken by the English under General Wolfe and the year 1763 saw the signing of the treaty of Fontainebleau by which Canada, He Royal () and He St. Jean were formally ceded to England . As early as 1755 there had come across the Strait of ENorthumberland dread rumours of barbarous treatment undergone by he Acadians on the mainland, in that territory which had been fondly ermed "Acadia the Happy". The bigotry and brutality which had affected the tragedy of Grand Pr6 soon extended to He St Jean and the dwellers in the little fishing hamlets along its coast, were, some by force and some by fear, driven from their holdings and sent adrift to hide in the forest fastnesses or die in southern cities as the case may be. Along the curving shores of (now called ) in the northern coast of He St. Jean were farms of many hundred Acadians who had settled in the parish of . The parish church which was dedicated to the Holy Family was situated at Low Point or Vieux. And history gives us the name of I'abbl Dosque as its last pastor. [The site of this church can be easily distinguished as well as the remains bf the old cemetery, a great part of which has been washed away by the pea. This burial place is the last home of many of the early Acadians. [The father and mother of Joseph Arsenault ( Joe League and a half), Louis DesRoches and his wife, Abram Arsenault and wife, all were laid to rest within its precincts. 99