The first families to settle in Rapide-Danseur arrived in 1932. This small village derives its name from a translation of the Algonquin " Opacitcicimosik " which means, " a place to stop to dance and shake out the kinks ". The first parish priest, Father Charles-Auguste Dion, settled here on November 4, 1939.

Father Dion was a dedicated priest who did not shy away from a challenge. When it was time to build the village church, he assumed the role of architect, drawing up the plans and mobilizing the entire parish to build it. Starting in 1941 and working in shifts, the parishioners cut 1 002 logs, which they transported by boat to the village. They also collected 950 cubic yards of fieldstone and 550 cubic yards of sand as filler between the stones.

The first mass was celebrated in the church in 1951, ten years after work began - ten years that had been devoted to the construction of a monument of lasting emotional appeal. The site of the Rapide-Danseur church was designated as an historic site by the Québec government in 1985.

Photo:
Church of Saint-Bruno in Rapide-Danseur and presbytery. Centre de Québec des ANQ.