Staff members of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie enjoyed a Beans and Bread Luncheon on June 25^th, 2008 to celebrate St. John the Baptist Day.

    In honor of the francophone tradition, Diocesan staff baked Boston Brown beans and homemade bread in a clay oven at the Diocesan Centre, formerly the site of the Folklore Centre.

    The Diocesan clay oven was built by Norm Sauvé, Fr. Germain Lemieux, and 20 boy scouts in the mid-1980's as a way of preserving history. “Clay ovens were used by our ancestors.  We built the clay oven in order to keep the tradition alive”, says Norm Sauvé, an employee at the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

    Built inside a hut made of ore boxes, the clay oven is made of straw and red clay molded into a dome shape. The oven has 6-8 inch thick walls and holds a fire in its hollow interior. “The oven took 3 days to build”, says a nostalgic Sauvé. “I like them [clay ovens] because they give food a 'smokier' taste than ovens of today”.

    When asked why Diocesan staff wanted to bake beans and bread in the clay oven, Sauvé responded: “We wanted to commemorate French Canadian culture by celebrating St. Jean-Baptiste Day in a unique way. There used to be two other clay ovens in Greater Sudbury, one in Richard Lake, and the other at Le Carrefour Francophone, but they were demolished 15-20 years ago”.

    Diocesan staff watched in awe as the roaring flames of the clay oven browned their beans and baked their bread. Linda Labelle and Fr. Tony Man Son Hing, both employees of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, prepared the beans and the bread, while Norm Sauvé prepared the clay oven and monitored the cooking.

    “I am very excited to be using the clay oven again”, says Sauvé. The oven hasn't been used in sixteen years”.

    Sixteen years later, the clay oven is alive and well. In honor of the patron saint of French Canadians, St. John the Baptist, Diocesan staff enjoyed a delicious luncheon, thanks to the clay oven next door.