Charlottetown’s oldest priest remembered
Father Charles Gallant, the oldest priest to ever have served in the Diocese of Charlottetown, died at the Prince County Hospital on Tuesday, Aug. 15, at the age of 98.
Born in Mont Carmel in 1919, Gallant moved at an early age with his family to the Egmont Bay area. After local schooling he completed high school and university at St. Joseph’s in Memramcook, N.B. Following graduation in 1942, he enrolled at Holy Heart Seminary in Halifax for theological studies and in 1946 he was ordained to the priesthood at Egmont Bay by Bishop James Boyle.
Fr. Gallant served his first two years at St. Dunstan’s University as professor of French and in other academic activities there. He then was appointed to parish ministry, first as curate at Egmont Bay from 1948 to 1955. From there he was pastor at St. Charles for 10 years, at Egmont Bay for another 10 years and finally at Mont Carmel from 1975 until his retirement in 1989.
Beyond his pastoral obligations, Gallant was much involved in cultural affairs on P.E.I. and beyond, always a faithful advocate of the deserved rights of the Acadian peoples in these parts.
Gallant just recently celebrated 71 years in the priesthood, the longest term of any priest in this diocese. He was one of 16 men from Egmont Bay Parish who became priests and was the ninth priest to be interred in that parish cemetery following his funeral on Aug. 19.