Century-Old Statue Honouring French Priest in New Brunswick Repaired After Vandalism

A century-old statue honouring a Catholic priest known for his work supporting French-language education in New Brunswick has been returned to its base after being pushed over in an apparent act of vandalism.

A statue of Père Camille Lefebvre was erected in in the Village of Memramcook, New Brunswick, in 1914. Sculpted in bronze by artist Philippe Hébert, it commemorates Lefebvre, the founder of Collège Saint-Joseph and a key figure in French-language education in Acadia.

Lefebvre was born in Quebec in 1831 and died in Memramcook in 1895.

The statue stood in the centre of the village for about 112 years before an unknown individual or individuals pushed it off its base sometime between 7:35 p.m. on Aug. 25 and 8:10 a.m. on Aug. 26, RCMP said in a statement.

Photos posted by the village on its website show the statue lying horizontally on the ground, with the sculpture’s head partially buried in the ground.

Sackville RCMP says a pickup truck was seen parked in a nearby parking lot between 4 and 5 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2026, described as a white 2019 or 2020 Dodge Ram. 

The RCMP investigation is ongoing, and the agency has asked anyone who witnessed suspicious activity or has surveillance footage from around the time of the incident to contact police.

Memramcook Mayor Maxime O. Bourgeois said the incident has been deeply upsetting for village residents.

“The people of Memramcook are very attached to Père Lefebvre. His statue is an important heritage symbol for us, and l’Acadie would not be as we [know] it without his dedication to French-language education in the 1860s,” Mayor Maxime O. Bourgeois said in a news release.

“We hope that light will be shed on this incident, which deeply upsets us.”

The statue has since been repaired, however, and was returned to its base at 7 a.m. on Sept. 8.

“Père Lefebvre is back! Just in time for the start of the school year,” the village posted on Facebook on Sept. 8.

“We thank all those who took care of the restoration of the statue of this great believer of higher education in Acadie.”