The ghost of Frère Antoine

Walking alone at night can be… spooky. Even more so if you believe in ghosts and you don’t have a valiant volunteer member of Safewalk with you. But what if I told you ghosts were real?

Image courtesy of Tumblr

Yes you would probably roll your eyes, tell me to get out and odds are that ghosts are entirely a figment of our imagination. Well, if they aren’t real, then you won’t mind me telling you a ghost story now would you? Now, sit back in your chair and listen (with your eyes).

Our story begins with Anthony Kowalczyk. A polish blacksmith turned priest who is better known as Frère Antoine. In 1891, Frère Antoine felt the religious calling and before you know it he had joined the Oblate priests and spent the last 35 years of his life serving in Edmonton. Many of those years he spent at Collège Saint-Jean (Now Campus Saint-Jean) and therein lies our story. 

At the time, Collège Saint-Jean was an all-boys residential college. One of the buildings in which the boys and the priests stayed still stands today and is known as the Daridon Pavilion. Between the pavilion and the Lacerte Pavillion (one of CSJ’s main buildings) there is a tunnel. 

One night, as Frère Antoine went to bed, raging screams rang out from his room. Other priests attempted to open the door without success. Frère Antoine was locked in and was obviously fighting someone. The battle lasted through the night and come morning Frère Antoine emerged alone claiming he had fought with the devil and kept him at bay.

 The tunnel that once joined the room in question is now condemned and half caved in. No one goes there… no one but ghosts that is. Be wary: for if you walk the grounds of CSJ at night, the ghost of Frère Antoine might still wander. However, it is not his ghost you should fear. No… what you should fear… is the thing he’s still fighting.  

Colin - YouAlberta Contributor

This is Colin is franco-albertan, hailing from the rural town of Saint-Paul where they have a landing pad to welcome any potential alien life forms. Weird? Maybe, but what's really weird is how many awesome people there are in that town. He loves sports, books and movies and he might love Lego a little too much. Colin is currently taking a victory lap with a political science major and economics minor over at Campus Saint-Jean, and he wants you to know that if you haven't had the chance to go there yet, you're missing out.