The 82-year-old man who was found drowned Saturday in Kouchibouguac National Park was Father Gilbert Lévesque, who served in four parishes in the Archdiocese of Moncton, including that of Saint-Louis-de-Kent.
Father Gilbert Lévesque was ordained a priest on June 26, 1982 in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. He held various positions in different places in Quebec during his religious life.
While working in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, in 2011 he was appointed priest-assistant to the Redemptorist community of Saint-Louis-de-Kent. He actively collaborated in this pastoral unit for eight years, in an environment where he could give free rein to his passion for nature and continue to engage in the creation of wood carvings.
Over the years, he has published a few books, one of which is entitled Gilbert Lévesque Acadien d’adoption. “I immediately became an adopted Acadian,” he wrote. After a celebration, while I was making an exploratory visit, at the exit of the church, a lady said to me: Toé you stay here!
In 2019, he answered the call of his superior who required his services in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Although he was advancing in age, Father Lévesque continued his mission as a priest.
According to the Regional Secretariat of the Redemptorists of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Father Lévesque was visiting New Brunswick at the time of the tragedy. The sudden nature of his departure was a source of upheaval both for his family and for his fellow Redemptorists.
-On Thursday, August 24, Father Lévesque will be exhibited at the church of Saint-Louis-de-Kent. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, August 25 from 10:30 a.m., still in this church.
The deceased will then be taken to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré where a funeral mass will be celebrated on August 29 from 2 p.m.
Recall of facts
On Saturday, August 19 at approximately 12 p.m., Parks Canada staff and other first responders responded to a call for a person in distress in the waters of the Northumberland Strait, approximately 1.5 kilometers from the supervised swimming area of Kellys Beach in Kouchibouguac National Park.
According to Parks Canada, when responders arrived at the scene, the person was found dead. The body was recovered from the choppy waters by law enforcement officers and paramedics with the help of a local lobster fisherman.
