The funeral of actress and senator Viola Léger was celebrated Tuesday morning at Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Cathedral in Moncton, in front of several dozen people.
The religious ceremony was presided over by Monsignor Valéry Vienneau, Archbishop of Moncton.
The interpreter of La Sagouine, a famous figure in Acadian culture, died in Dieppe on January 28 at the age of 92.
The actress is survived by her three sisters, two who live in New Brunswick and one in the United States. They were present at the funeral.
She also leaves behind several nephews and nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces. She was predeceased by two brothers who lived in the United States and a sister who lived in New Brunswick.
The ceremony began around 10:30 a.m. Atlantic time, in the presence of several cultural and political personalities, including the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, Brenda Murphy.
Addressing the audience, Senator René Cormier praised the enormous cultural and social contribution of Viola Léger, while stating that any meeting with Ms. Léger gave anyone the impression that she gave his full attention.
During her long artistic career, Viola Léger has interpreted La Sagouine, a work by Antonine Maillet, some 3,000 times, in French and in English, across Canada and abroad.
Ms. Maillet, a contemporary of Viola Léger, transmitted a message of several minutes which had been previously recorded. The winner of the Goncourt prize for her novel Pelagie-la-Charrette in 1979 summarized the talent of the deceased by explaining that by embodying La Sagouine, she had not only played a character, but that she had brilliantly expressed social realities.
Viola Léger sat in the Senate of Canada from 2001 to 2005, where she particularly emphasized the importance of artists in our society. She has served on the Aboriginal Peoples Committee and the Official Languages Committee.
During her life, Viola Léger received numerous honorary doctorates and prestigious awards, including the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade (1978), the Medal of the Council of French Life in America (1987), as well as the titles of Officer of the Order of Canada (1989) and Knight of the French Order of Arts and Letters (1991).
The burial of the remains of Viola Léger will take place later, in the spring.