100 years of Société Saint-Thomas-D'Aquin

The Société Saint-Thomas-D'Aquin (SSTA) celebrated its 100th year of operation on Aug. 28. 

The group was formed on Aug. 28, 1919, with a goal of creating an organization to voice the concerns of the Acadian and Francophone communities of P.E.I. 

Isabelle Dasylva-Gill, executive director of today’s SSTA, said the organization will be celebrating the anniversary in various ways to commemorate the achievements. 

“To help inform people and recognize the accomplishments of the SSTA, we’ll be publishing articles, holding round-tables for intergenerational discussions about Acadian and Francophone culture, expos at the Acadian museum and we will host a gala to say thank you to the volunteers who’ve contributed to the SSTA over the years.” 

The SSTA started as an organization in Bloomfield, by French people of the church and teachers who came together and shared a common goal, said Dasylva-Gill. 

“It’s a bit of a joke (within the SSTA) but they really did go door-to-door, collecting 10 cents at a time for bursaries. They were looking for a way to send Acadian students, who didn’t have access to an education in French, out of the province and get the education they wanted.” 

“The long-term goal was for those who left on bursaries to come back and contribute to the community,” she said. 

The SSTA has evolved from the days of primarily focusing on education to looking at many concerns and needs of the Francophone heritage. 

“When an organization is 100 years old, the way it evolves depends on the generation. The previous generation grew up with the SSTA, they knew the importance and the role it played. The newer generation may not know. So, we play a role today to connect all community members.” 

Dasylva-Gill said the SSTA was behind some of the bigger additions to the preservation of French language on the Island. 

“The SSTA started the only French paper ‘La Voix Acadienne,’ established in 1975. The youth organization for Acadians was started under a wing of the SSTA and was the first steps of education in French for P.E.I.”  

The anniversary shines on a light on how the SSTA came to be, what it has done for the community and how the organization will move forward, said Dasylva-Gill. 

“We are currently working on a development plan for the next 10 years. It has to do with the different sectors and essentials to the community, particularly the more vulnerable like the children and the elderly.” 

Part of the new development plan the SSTA is working on is rebranding the organization to fit the modern times. 

“We’re discussing changing the name to reflect the community it represents today, understanding that the organization will stay true to the mandate and the population it serves. We’re going to engage the community in the process. Surveys, consultations, votes. We’re definitely going to get the input of the community, because it belongs to the community.”