Antoine Simon MaillardAbbé Pierre Antoine Simon Maillard (1710–12 August 1762) was a priest of French origin. He is best known for his efforts to the development of a writing system for the Mi'kmaq of Île Royale, New France (now Cape Breton Island, Canada). He is also recgnized with assisting in the negotiation of a peace pact between the British and the Mi'kmaq, which resulted in the Burying of the Hatchet ceremony (Nova Scotia). He was the first Catholic priest in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and he is buried in St. Peter's Cemetery in the heart of the city. Maillard was born in 1710 in the diocese of Chartres, France. He acquired his theological education at Paris' Séminaire de Saint-Esprit. In 1734, the Abbé de L'Isle-Dieu chose Maillard from a group of seminarists loaned to the Séminaire des Missions Étrangères, which was in need of manpower. Maillard was chosen in 1735 for the Mi'kmaq missions on Île Royale (now Cape Breton Island) after spending eight months in that institution. According to his recommendation letter, "he is a young priest who has greatly edified us full of zeal and piety." On August 13, 1735, Maillard arrived in Fortress Louisbourg aboard the ship Rubis. He spent a lot of time with the Mi'kmaq people. Read More Read Less