Thanks Eula March, 2015 Trahan Family Assoc.Newsletter: We are now well into the year 2015,thankful that we do not have the viscous weather that the NorthernStates have been having, although the rain is beginning to be alittle too much. This year the Trahan Family Assoc. willagain be participating in the GRA 2015 (The Great Acadian Awakening)October 3-12, 2015 to be held in several locals in our AcadianCountry of South Louisiana. Please go to the website: www.louisiane-acadie.com and learn of all the activities being planned, including a FrenchMass as was held in the GRA2011. Again the Trahan Family Assoc. willhave a table with genealogy guru, Mitch Conover, manning hiscomputer. In 2011 there were 20 families with such tables in theConference Center, Cajun Dome, in Lafayette, La. Due to thedeclining interest by our fellow Acadians in preserving the culture,or being too busy with other endeavors-kids in school activities,football, soccer, band, etc. the participation seems to be declining. I remember for the CMA 1999 held in Louisiana, 42 families wereorganized and participated in many of the activities, especiallyhaving large family reunions in their respective area of Acadiana. An excellent article appeared in thelocal newspaper, Abbeville Meridional, on Sunday, May 25, 2003 thatexpresses what I am trying to convey. It was written by Fr. MitchellGuidry, Pastor in Gueydan, La. Fr. Guidry’s article is reproducedin part here: “The Acadians, as is widely known,were forcibly removed from their homes in the Canadian maritimeprovinces by their English governors for two reasons: They wereFrench and they were Catholic.” “All the Acadians would have to havedone in order to stay in their colony of Acadie, now known as NovaScotia, was to take an oath swearing allegiance to the Crown ofEngland and renouncing their Catholic faith. It was quite clear thatthe English had a particular plan in mind: “erase their Frenchlanguage and culture and their Catholic religion and make them one ofus (the English).” Fr. Guidry continues: “I write thisbecause I am disturbed by the fact that what the English could not doto our Acadian ancestors, we, their descendants, are doing toourselves. It saddens me to see so many young couples with FrenchAcadian family names, names that we can assume are or once wereCatholic, marrying outside the Catholic Church by judges, ministers,or whoever. “We no longer tell the old stories,sing the old songs, have the same close families, or worship in theone true Church. “The French language has given way toEnglish, the traditional music to country, rock, or rap, our goodhome cooked Cajun meals to fast food. “Wake up South Louisiana! The morewe become like the rest of America, the more we lose our uniqueidentity! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thatbeing said, won’t you do your part in keeping our Acadian Culture? If you speak French, teach your children, grandchildren thisbeautiful language. Since the evolution of CODFIL (Counsel for theDevelopment of French in Louisiana) an outstanding job of teachingFrench in some schools, while other schools, or parishes, areadamantly opposed to this curriculum. They always site budgetproblems, but is that the only reason? The Trahan Family Assoc. haddiscontinued collecting dues because the Treasury was sufficient topay the needs for a few years. Those years are now past, and weagain asking for members to renew their membership. A membershipform is enclosed, or if you are receiving this by e-mail, one isattached. Our last meeting was on Feb. 14, 2015and was fairly well attended. We look forward to have the nextmeeting sometimes in late August or early September to give the finalinfo on the upcoming GRA2015. Several of our members made the trip toMaine and New Brunswick for the CMA2014. It was a well plannedCongre, large participation, great programming and some very severeweather at times. But that did not drown the enthusiasm. OurLouisiana Tent was inundated with at least an inch of water on theplywood floor after a real cloudburst. All electric gear on floorshad to e raised to prevent shortin out. Most of the combined action was inGrand Falls, N. B., but the Leger/Trahan reunion was in St. Jacque,N.B. Very few Trahan’s attended, but it was well planned, and Iwas very glad to have attended. The local priest said Mass at thereunion site, the Knights of Columbus Hall in St. Jacque. His churchwas beautifully decorated in the Acadian Tri-Colors, as well as manyhomes in the community. What struck me, about the activities inGrand Falls was that the Louisiana Delegation and the Louisiana tenthad usually twice or three times more people from all over, Canada,Europe, etc. than the other tents put up by other localities-Quebec,Montreal, Canada as a whole, etc. Even the Acadian chefs wereinundated for their offerings-jambalaya being the most sought after.a Our efforts to have an upcoming “CongreMondial Acadian” here in Louisiana is just about a lost cause. WEare unable to secure the enormous funding needed to put on such anaffair. The Canadian governments-National, Provincial, Local, aswell as Corporate and Private donors, came up with millions ofdollars, that is plural, to host such events. The next, CMA2019,will be in Eastern New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Alreadythey are on record to outdo the last one in Aug. 2014. They willhave a tough time, but they are resourceful. What is so impressive is the greatlengths the Acadians from the area we were in, in August 2014, todecorate homes, shops, businesses, churches, streets, tractors,bicycles in the Acadian Tri Colors. Of course each familyorganization, that is willing to have functions, are awarded a goodlysum of money by the CMA Council, actually really funded by thegovernment. So in closing, I am making a plea: Won’t you please do your part in keeping and/or reviving ourAcadian Culture? By: Loubert G. Trahan, President,Trahan Family Association.