The Carrefour Francophone of Sudbury: Celebrating 75 years of Francophone Cultural History

History of Carrefour

The Carrefour francophone de Sudbury is celebrating its 75th anniversary.  Carrefour is a cultural and educational community center dedicated to promoting Franco-Ontarian culture and fostering pride in it. It is the first center of its kind in Ontario. The project was launched by Father Albert Régimbal, S.J., in 1950, and the organization was subsequently incorporated as a nonprofit in 1957. At the time, Régimbal named his center “Civitas Christi,” but it was officially known as “Le Centre des jeunes de Sudbury.” 

Although initially created to provide a gathering place and sociocultural programs for young adolescents in Sudbury’s Francophone and Catholic community, the center’s mission has evolved over the years. It now focuses on promoting culture, artistic expression, and recreation, as well as fostering leadership, primarily in a French-language environment and regardless of the participant’s age. Although the Centre has always targeted, first and foremost, Francophone youth, its mandate has evolved over the years to more accurately meet the needs and aspirations of the clientele it continues to serve today. Thus, in 1989, the Centre was renamed “Carrefour francophone de Sudbury.”

Archives

The Archives preserve the records of the Carrefour francophone. The Carrefour francophone archival collection, through its integrity and comprehensiveness, bears witness not only to Sudbury’s Francophone community and the city’s socio-cultural network, but also to French-speaking Ontario. The Sudbury Carrefour francophone collection is a comprehensive collection that documents the organization’s main socio-cultural activities, achievements, management, and evolution, from its founding with Father Régimbal through its 50th-anniversary celebration in 2000 and up to the present day.

The Archives hold the records of the Fonds Carrefour francophone de Sudbury.  You will also find related material in the Fonds Albert Régimbal and the Fonds Georgette Simard-Paquette.  Related material can also be found within the library’s special collection, for example, the book: Du Centre des jeunes au Carrefour francophone, 1951-1990 : quarante ans de vie communautaire et culturelle à Sudbury.