The first Pastor of the Assumption Church, Potier was born in Blandain, in present day Belgium. In 1721 he entered a Jesuit college and, after pronouncing his final vows in 1743, he came to Quebec. An avid scholar, Potier began an intensive study of the Huron language at Lorette. A year later, he was sent to Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) Island to serve the Huron Mission of the Assumption. In 1748 he moved with the mission to this locality, and by 1761 he was ministering to the needs of both the Hurons and the French settlers in the area. While fulfilling his pastoral duties, Potier continued his linguistic studies and today his notes provide the best key to the dialect spoken in New France in the mid-18th century.

Location

At the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, 350 Huron Church Road, Windsor

Themes

• Franco-Ontarian heritage
• People
• Religion