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    On Fr. Bélanger's death in 1868, the fate of the French took an important turn. His replacement, Mgr. Thomas Sears (later the first bishop of the diocese of St. George's) did herculean labours in the region, building roads, churches, and schools, but making English more and more the language of the church. Despite the subsequent presence here and there of a few French-speaking priests, English was nonetheless the language of both religious and lay instruction.

    Once again, oral testimony speaks eloquently, at least on the peninsula. Prayers recited by informants in French were often so garbled as to be scarcely recognizable: for lack of French-speaking priests and instruction in French, prayers had only been transmitted orally. The peninsula French would dearly love to be served today by a French-speaking priest.