FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New York - June 30, 2016— In a two-day celebration of its own, Saint-Omer, a city in Nord Pas-de-Calais in Northern France will celebrate America's 240th Independence Day on July 8th and 9th, 2016. The French town's unlikely Franco-American relationship exists due to three American men from one family, The Carrolls (two brothers and one cousin), all of whom studied in Saint-Omer College: John Carroll served as the first bishop and archbishop in the United States and was the founder of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Charles Carroll, served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and Confederation Congress and later was first United States Senator for Maryland. He was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Daniel Carroll was one of five men to sign both the "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union" (1778) and the United States Constitution (1787) and the first of the three Carrolls to arrive in France from the English Colonies of America.
The three cousins would study in Saint-Omer at the English Jesuit College. Going back home, they would later play a key role in the foundation and the development of the future United States of America. Running away from Ireland where Catholics were not welcome anymore because of the religion wars, their grandfather and granduncle, Charles Carroll the Settler, settled down in Maryland with his family. Their motto leaving their country was «In Fide et Bello Fortis» (Strong in faith and in war) will then become «Ubicunque cum Libertate» (Anywhere so long as There Be Freedom). The Carrolls will forever be three pillars of the creation of the American nation, symbols of religious, cultural and economic freedom. Their extraordinary fate creates a permanent and absolute link between Saint-Omer and Maryland. Now, there are academic exchanges between the high schools of the two towns. To commemorate this legacy and the influence that the famous Carrolls had on American history and politics, the town has commissioned a special opus, "The Carroll Odyssey," that will debut during the festivities at the Saint-Omer Cathedral, a national monument in France.
There will also be exhibits about the battle of Yorktown, the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American theater, where Franco-American forces struggled against the British Army. A program of the events surrounding the town is available by clicking on link.