La Societe came to be in March, 1979, under the dynamic leadership of Minnesota's Official Voyageur, John Rivard, who grew up and lived for many years in the Somerset WI area, a few miles northeast of St. Paul MN. (Three photos of Mr. Rivard at various stages of his life are shown at right - his First Communion Photo; High School Graduation; and his Official Minnesota Voyageur photo from about 1980).
John, while retired, remains the spiritual leader of Midwestern French Canadians. He lives with his spouse, Jeanne, in suburban Minneapolis.
La Societe, which is currently inactive, had a lively 22 year history representing the French-Canadian culture of the Midwest in diverse ways, including over 125 issues of Chez Nous, the organizations newsletter (Editor Dick Bernard [email protected]). Many of the members came from the Somerset, WI, area, famous for its many French-Canadian settlers and traditions. Many others of French-Canadian ancestry joined La Societe as well, from diverse places, mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin, though other places were also represented. LSCF met in the St. Louis King of France Parish Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota; held many social events; participated in many parades; and still is represented at the annual St. Paul Festival of Nations.
While LaSociete is now inactive, making the inevitable and difficult transition from church hall social group to connecting with diverse individuals through means such as this website, we still highly value the traditions we celebrate as French-Canadian, and invite you to submit your stories for telling on this site. Submit to [email protected]. Posting is at site holder's sole discretion.
While we no longer publish Chez Nous, we recommend Le Forum, published by Le Centre Franco-American of the Universite du Maine at Orono. This newspaper is accessible by writing LeForum at Le Centre Franco-Americain, University of Maine, Orono 04469-5719.
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