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Dictionary of Basilian Biography

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Lives of Members of the Congregation of Priests of Saint Basil from its Beginnings in 1822 to 1968
by
Robert J. Scollard, C.S.B.

Toronto
The Basilian Press
95 St. Joseph Street
Toronto, ON (Canada)
M5S 3C2

1969

published (unrevised) to the World Wide Web 1997
www.basilian.org

ABOULIN, Jean Joseph Marie, General Councillor and Master of Novices, was born in St. Alban-en-Montagne, Diocese of Viviers, France, on March 19, 1841. He died at Windsor, Ontario, on August 30, 1931.

Father Jean Aboulin began his education in local schools and continued it at the Petit Séminaire de Vernoux and at the Collège du Sacré-Cceur in Annonay. He entered St. Basil's Novitiate at Feyzin on September 28, 1861, and was admitted to final vows on May 15, 1864. As a scholastic he taught in colleges at Privas and Annonay. He was ordained priest on September 21, 1867.

Shortly after ordination Father Aboulin came to America and following a short stay at St. Michael's College, Toronto, Ontario, went to St. Louis College in Louisville, Ohio, where he taught from 1868 to 1870. In 1870 he was called to Windsor to serve as the first Basilian pastor of Assumption Parish. Father Aboulin was appointed Master of Novices in 1893 and held this post until 1907, with the exception of the year 1894-95 when he was pastor of St. Charles Parish in Newport, Michigan. In 1907 he went to St. Anne's Parish, Detroit, as assistant and remained there until 1928 when he retired to Assumption College. He died in 1931 and was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

"The abbé", as Father Aboulin was called by his confreres, was short of stature and spare of frame. Congenital defects left him with humped shoulders and caused him to walk with an awkward and plodding gait. This did not impede attention to the care of the flock entrusted to him. In his Outline History of Assumption Parish Father E. J. Lajeunesse wrote, "A familiar sight on the local roadways was this shepherdly man of God, with short and plodding step, wending his way on foot even to the remotest parts of the parish. It was not uncommon for him to walk six or seven miles to visit the parishioners in Petite Côte or in the fourth and fifth concessions up Huron Line way."

As a parish priest he was zealous in preaching the Word of God. He loved to preach in French. He was a gifted confessor and many penitents came to his confessional. At St. Anne's Parish, Father Aboulin would pick up the evening paper and while still standing would run through the death notices and the marriages. The rest of the news was of little interest to him. His favorite reading was the Ami du Clergé and an opinion expressed in this pastoral review was almost like the gospel for him.

While at St. Anne's Parish, he had a minor role in the establishment of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. A memorial volume for Msgr. Francis Van Antwerp, privately printed at Detroit in 1930, recorded (p. 68) that at Father Aboulin's urging Msgr. Van Antwerp placed the suggestion before Cardinal Gibbons and that from this conversation came the first practical steps towards the realization of a National Shrine to the Blessed Virgin. Father Aboulin attributed many of the graces he received during his long life to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. He wrote in his Will, "of my most beloved Mother, who protected me from my mother's womb, and to whom I owe the greatest graces I have received, especially the grace of my vocation at Le Puy, then other graces at Fourvière and at Lourdes. "

As Master of Novices, Father Aboulin first did and then taught. He was always a living example of the ascetic life. Year after year he was the soul of punctuality at religious exercises.

The respect in which Father Aboulin was held by his confreres led to his service on the General Council from 1910 until 1922 and during several of these years he was also Secretary General.

In 1922, when called upon to make a choice between the two branches of the Basilian Fathers, Father Aboulin was torn between two loves. He had retained and was proud of his French citizenship. On the other hand he had spent almost all his priestly life in America. He chose to remain in America and accepted the simple vow of poverty.

Father Aboulin was interested in the history of Assumption Parish and read a paper on it before St. Basil's Academy, Assumption College, on November 12, 1879. A fuller account from his pen was published by a local newspaper in 1899.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; E. J. Lajeunesse: Outline History of Assumption Parish, 1767-1967 (Windsor, 1967); Monsignor Francis Van Antwerp Memorial Volume (Detroit, 1930);Purple and White, Assumption College, October 15 1927; Semaine Religieuse de Viviers, 25 Septembre 1931; Windsor Star, November 21, 1959-;Yearbook, St. Michael's College, 24 (1933).

ACTORIE, Joseph Marie JULIEN, third Superior General, was born in Saint-Jean-en-Royans (Drôme), France, on April 16, 1802, the son Michel Actorie and Julie Julien. He died at Feyzin, near Lyon, on October 28, 1864.

Father Julien Actorie received his early education in a school conducted by the curé of his native village. In 1816 he came to the Collège d'Annonay and was placed in the classe de troisième. He was a brilliant student and when he completed the classical course was invited to join the staff as a junior member while he continued his studies for the priesthood. He may be considered as one of the community's first scholastics since he was not yet ordained when the Congregation was organized in 1822. He was ordained priest in December 1826.

The College at Feyzin was Father Actorie's first appointment after ordination. In 1831 he was named Superior, an office he held until this college was closed in 1847. During the year 1847-48 he was at Annonay in charge of the intellectual and pedagogical formation of scholastics. In 1848 he went to the Petit Séminaire at Bourg.-St-Andéol as Superior. When it was transferred to Aubenas in 1852 he moved with it. Father Actorie was elected third Superior General on August 30, 1859, and was called back to Annonay. He died in 1864 from a cerebral hemorrhage while visiting St. Basil's Novitiate in Feyzin. He was buried in a private cemetery on the Novitiate grounds.

Father Julien Actorie was a splendid teacher who possessed complete command over his students from the first day he entered a classroom. He had enough of that intangible quality, `authority', not only to ensure obedience to his own orders, but also to help other teachers with their discipline problems. He taught the classics, mathematics and philosophy which was his favorite subject.

He was a well-known preacher of whom Father Adrien Chomel wrote: "He had all the marks of an orator: a lively imagination, an exquisite sensibility, rapidity of conception, facility of speech, and a strong, clear, flexible and musical voice... His language was grave, forceful, nervous and precise. He did not write many of his sermons, but thought them out and spoke them without setting them down on paper."

As an administrator Father Actorie liked to look at matters from a detached point of view. When confronted with a complex problem, he endeavored to back away from the immediate aspect of it in order to see the situation in its entirety. In the exercise of his authority, it was characteristic of him to devote his attention to the formulation of policy and to delegate its execution to others. In charting the future of the Congregation, he relied heavily upon the advice of Cardinal Hippolyte Guibert with whom he formed strong bonds of friendship when Guibert was Bishop of Viviers.

In a circular letter, dated January 20, 1863, he gave this account of the first three years of his administration as Superior General: "After having provided for the most pressing business, we conceived the plan of founding a separate Novitiate, of establishing a Scholasticate, of revising and completing our Constitutions in order to be able to submit them to the judgment of Rome with the well-founded hope of obtaining the approbation of the Sovereign Pontiff."

When Father Actorie took office, the Novitiate was at Privas. He moved it in 1860 to Feyzin and drew up a tentative Rule which began: "The exercises of the Novitiate have for their end the preparation of young men for the perfection of Christian life, which consists in living the life of Jesus Christ, poor and obedient even unto the death of the Cross." In 1861 he bought property in Annonay, across the street from Ste. Barbe, for use as a Scholasticate. Writing of these two houses Father Charles Roume said: "Their fruits were quickly manifested in an increase of personnel: in December there were 15 novices at Feyzin and at the ordinations in September 1864, 4 received tonsure, 8 minor orders, 4 the subdiaconate, 5 the diaconate, and one the priesthood."

Local houses were kept informed about revisions in the Constitutions and on February 7, 1863, a conference of local superiors was held at Annonay to give them final approval. These Constitutions consisted of two parts, approximately the same in length. Part One treated of the organization of the Congregation in fifteen short chapters. Part Two had eight chapters devoted to the spiritual life of the Congregation. Father Louis Monot translated them into Latin and on August 1st Father Actorie went to Rome to present them for approval. He carried with him commendatory letters from the Bishops in whose dioceses members of the Congregation served. Pope Pius IX granted the approbation of the Congregation on September 18th but the Constitutions were returned with a request for further changes. Father Actorie at once set about complying with the request but death intervened to keep him from securing the long sought approbation.

The spiritual life of members was ever in the mind of Father Actorie and from his pen came a series of novenas for community use: On Obedience in preparation for the feast of St. Joseph, March 19th; On Study and Teaching before the feast of St. Basil, June 14th; On Charity and Zeal before the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4th; and on Vocation for the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, November 21st. Moments of leisure were given to writing. From 1831 to 1846 he worked on his book, De l'origine et de la réparation du Mal, which was published at Lyon in 1846 and reprinted at Paris in 1852. At the time of his death he left in manuscript two unfinished books, one with the title Considération sur le Providence. the other untitled. Selections from his circular letter of January 26, 1863, were printed in the edition of The Basilian Vademecum published by Father M.V. Kelly, (Toronto, 1930), p. 94-105.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; A. Chomel: Le College d'Annonay, 1800-1880 (Annonay, 1902); Dictionnaire de Biographie Française (Paris, 1933-) 1, cols. 365-66; C. Roume: Origines et Formation de la Communauté des Prêtres de St. Basile (Privas, 1965).

ALBOUSSIÈRES, Louis, priest, was ordained on September 21, 1901.

Source: Basilian Archives in Toronto.

ARNOUX, François-Régis, priest, was born in France on February 12, 1824. He died on August 21, 1891.

Father François Arnoux taught at the Petit Séminaire de Vernoux for some years beginning in 1852. When religious vows were proposed to members in 1852 he hesitated about taking them and waited until September 22, 1865, before accepting them.

Sources: Catalogue of the Gngregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967); Chanoine Fromenton: Le Petit Séminaire de Vernoux (Aubenas, 1922); C. Roume: Origines et Forrmation de le Communauté des Pretres de St. Basile (Privas, 1965).

AUDIBERT, Auguste, priest, was born in France on December 17, 1840.

Source: Basilian Archives in Toronto.

AUREILLE, Edouard, priest, cousin of Father Emile Aureille, was born in Meysse, Ardèche, France, on September 21, 1862. He died near Port Said, Egypt, on April 5, 1934.

Father Edouard Aureille gave early signs of a priestly vocation. The village curé taught him Latin, then he came to Ste. Barbe, Annonay, as a student in quatrième. Later he studied at the Petit Séminaire de Vernoux after which he entered St. Basil's Novitiate at Feyzin. After profession he returned to Annonay to study for a baccalauréat-ès-Sciences. At the same time he was a prefect, and a very strict one, at Ste. Barbe.

In 1884 Father Aureille was appointed to the College of Mary Immaculate, Beaconfield, near Plymouth, England. He taught mathematics until the College was closed in 1903. During these years England became a second home for him and his confreres in France called him L'Anglais. After the closing of the College he remained at Beaconfield serving as chaplain to a community of French nuns and to the Catholic troops in the Garrison at Plymouth. In 1916 he came to St. Charles Seminary in Annonay where he taught chant. He designed the central part of Maison Saint-Joseph on the grounds of the Collège du Sacré-Coeur and when it was completed in 1929 retired there. He was an experienced traveller and met his death in 1934 while returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Failing eyesight caused him to open by mistake an outside door and he fell off a train that was taking him to Cairo. He was buried in Port Said, Egypt.

Father Aureille was a priest who taught many subjects besides his specialty. He directed the college choir, served as organist, and was a lively conversationalist. He brought to England the Presentation Sisters who had been founded at Bourg-St-Andéol in the Ardèche with the encouragement of Mgr. d'Aviau. Mass is offered four times a year for the repose of his soul in the chapel of their convent at Exeter, England.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967); Semaine Religieuse de Viviers, 18 Mai 1934, 239-42.

AUREILLE, Emile, general councillor, cousin of Father Edouard Aureille, was born in Meysse, Ardèche, France, on December 12, 1870. He died at Annonay, France, on November 2, 1937.

Father Emile Aureille taught philosophy at St. Charles College in Blidah, Algeria. After his return to France he served as Director of Studies at the Collège du Sacré-Coeur in Annonay. In 1926 he was made an honorary canon of the Diocese of Viviers. He died in 1937 and was buried in the private cemetery on the grounds of the Collège du Sacré-Cceur.

When he was first general councillor, Father Aureille served as Acting Superior General from October 1931 until January 1932.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967).

BALANDRAU, Jean, priest, was born in France on November 29, 1840.

Source: Basilian Archives in Toronto.

BART, Peter John, priest, member of the Congregation 1917-35, was born in Stratford, Ontario, on August 4, 1897, the son of Peter Bart and Caroline La Porte. He died at Toronto, Ontario, on November 16, 1950.

Father Peter Bart received his early education in Stratford, then came in 1914 to Assumption College, Windsor, Ontario. Three years later he entered St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto and was professed on August 10, 1918. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in 1922 and an M. A. in Philosophy in 1923. During these years he showed that he was also a good athlete who excelled in football. He attended the Ontario College of Education in Toronto, 1924-25, made his theological studies at St. Basil's Seminary, Toronto, and was ordained priest on December 20, 1924.

His first appointment after ordination saw Father Bart teaching at Assumption College, 1925-26. Next he served for one year as an assistant in Assumption Parish, Windsor, then returned to teaching at Assumption College. He joined the staff of St. Michael's College, Toronto, in 1932. He obtained leave of absence from the Congregation in 1935 and after several months with the Cistercians at the Priory of Notre Dame des Prairies, Saint Norbert, Manitoba, he went to the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where he was incardinated on July 6, 1937. During World War II he served as a chaplain in the Canadian Army. Later he was pastor of several small parishes, the last being St. Mark's at Markstay, Ontario. He died from cancer in 1950 and was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

Father Bart was a philosopher in his early days and was invited to read papers before a number of gatherings of philosophers. He contributed "Reflections on Perception" to the New Scholasticism 3 (Jan. 1929) 19-23; and "The Christianity of Paul Elmer More" to the Catholic World 85 (No. 809, Aug. 1932) 542-47.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Annals 2 (1951-59) 42.

BELLISLE, Henry Stanislaus, priest, educator, was born in Georgetown, Ontario, on Novemher 12, 1891, the son of Joseph Bellisle and Margaret Heavin. He died at Windsor, Ontario, on December 28, 1938.

Father Henry Bellisle grew up in Toronto where he attended St. Helen's and St. Francis Separate Schools. From 1904 until 1911 he was a brilliant student and an exceptional athlete at St. Michael's College. When he graduated in 1911 the class prophecy predicted that he would one day be head of the College. The first step towards this was admission to St. Basil's Novitiate, Toronto, where he was professed on August 15, 1912. He studied theology at St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto and was ordained priest on September 26, 1915. Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. followed and in 1916 he obtained a Master's degree.

Appointed to Assumption College, Windsor, in 1916, Father Bellisle taught there until 1919 when he returned to St. Michael's College. At one time or another he taught practically every subject in the high school department, served as principal 1921-27, as registrar of the Arts department, and from 1931 until 1934 as superior. A coronary thrombosis forced him to resign in 1934 and he moved to St. Basil's Seminary. In 1935 he was transferred to Assumption College where he taught until his death in 1938 from a heart attack. He was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

As an educator Father Bellisle set high standards for himself and for those associated with him. At St. Michael's College School he ended the traditional practice of apprenticeship teaching by undergraduates. During the depression years he opened branches of St. Michael's College School in the East End on Lee Avenue just above Queen Street, and in the West End on Dundas Street above Bloor Street West. At the same time he lowered the tuition fees thereby making it possible for more boys to attend. In the Arts department he introduced a Freshman course in 1931 which enabled graduates of American high schools to qualify for admission to the University of Toronto.

During his administration Father Bellisle gave his full support to an expanded athletic program. In a Master's thesis, Father Robert Fischette wrote, "Father Bellisle held that organized, competitive sport plays an important role in education, not merely for the physical, but especially for its moral value--training the student to hold his temper and keep steady under fire, training him in his resourcefulness and leadership and cooperation with others in a common cause". As a teacher he continued to participate in sports and when he played, the game was always strenuous and always friendly. For some years he coached football and hockey teams at St. Michael's College.

Father Bellisle was called "Happy", a nickname that perfectly described his joyful character. Writing in The Basilian Teacher Father James Embser observed that "his presence in the community room was always a joy to his confreres... His laugh was infectious and remarkable was his attention to the aged confreres. He seemed to enjoy their company and certainly added much joy to their lives."

Love of study made Father Bellisle a gifted teacher whom students remembered. After noting in a memorial tribute that Father Bellisle was gifted intellectually to an extraordinary degree, Father Edmund McCorkell went on to say, "He likewise had the patience of a research student and this is the reason of his success with St. Augustine, St. Thomas and Newman."

In his dealings with people, Father Bellisle was extremely affable and companionable. With many students he had a life long influence which Father McCorkell attributed to his personal piety and the fact that "he seemed to retain to an unusual extent the spirit of a boy throughout his whole life."

Father Bellisle's publications reflect his many interests. His favorite study was St. Augustine and he published a paper, "Illumination Theory of St. Augustine", in the Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 6 (1930) 106-17. He gathered the "Reminiscences of Father Robert McBrady" for The Basilian I (Apr- 1935) 23-24, 34.

In the field of education he wrote four pamphlets: The Institute of Mediaeval Studies (Toronto, 1933), Philosophy of Life (Toronto, 1933), Religion and the Office of Teaching (Toronto, 1933), and Some Principles of Catholic Pedagogy (Toronto, 1934).

He contributed a series of articles on social problems and on education to the Bulletin of the Windsor Guncil of the Knights of Columbus, 1453: "Social Problems" 14 (May and June 1938), "The Pope's Encyclicals Explained" 14 (Mar. 1938), "Who is John Dewey ?" 15 (Nov. 1938).

Other publications are: "The Christian Concept of Peace" in The Basilian I (Dec. 1935) 131-132, 2 (Jan. 1935) 7-8; "What Can We Do About It ?" in The Basilian 4 (Mar. 1938) 44-45; and "Questions and Answers", a series that ran in The Catholic Record (London, Ont.) during 1936-38.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; J. W. Embster: "Henry S. Bellisle", in The Basilian Teacher 4 (Jan. 1960) 116-19; R. M. Fischette: Father Bellisle's Philosophy of Education, unpublished Master's thesis (University of Detroit,1943); E.J.McCorkell:"In Memoriam H. S. Bellisle", in The Thurible (St. Michael's College, Toronto, 1939).

BERGERON, Cyril Orville, priest, was born in Cloquet, Minnesota, on December 23, 1914, the son of Joseph Bergeron and Celina Paya. He died at Detroit, Michigan, on June 23, 1963.

Father Cyril Bergeron's home was in Detroit from an early age and in this city he attended Catholic Central High School for Boys before entering St. Basil's Novitiate, Toronto, Ontario. After first profession on August 15, 1934, he was appointed to Basil's Seminary, Toronto, and in 1938 he obtained a B. A. from the University of Toronto. His theological studies at St. Basil's Seminary were interrupted by a year of teaching at St. Thomas High School in Houston, 1940-41, and by a second year of teaching at Catholic Central High School in Detroit, 1941-42. In 1942 he obtained a Michigan Secondary School Teacher's ,Certificate. He was ordained priest on August 15, 1943 . Teaching assignments took Father Bergeron to Aquinas Institute in Rochester, New York, 1944-48; St. Thomas High School, Houston, 1948-51; and Catholic Central High School, Detroit from 1951 until his death with the exception of two years, 1957-1959, when he was on sick leave at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Windsor, Ontario. He died in 1963, after a long series of heart attacks, and was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

History and English were Father Bergeron's favorite teaching subjects. Careful preparation of his classes brought him the respect of students. From his entrance into the Novitiate he was an energetic Basilian, active in athletics as a participant and as a coach, enthusiastic about his teaching and zealous in the discharge of all his priestly work.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Annals 3 (1960-66) 218-19; Basilian Newsletter June 24, 1963.

BEUGLET, Luke Léon, priest, nephew of Father Luke Renaud, was born in Belle River, Ontario, on October 3, 1878, the son of Henry Beuglet and Marie Renaud. He died at Detroit, Michigan, on July 25, 1955.

Father Luke Beuglet attended Tilbury Public School and then worked for some years before coming to Assumption College, Windsor, Ontario, in 1902 to begin his studies for the priesthood. He entered St. Basil's Novitiate, Toronto, Ontario, in 1907 and was professed on August 15, 1908. Studies in Toronto at St. Michael's College and the Toronto Business College followed profession. He made his theological course at St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto and was ordained priest on September 18, 1914.

His first appointment as a priest was to St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas, where he taught and served as local treasurer. In 1922 thirty-three years of parish work began for Father Beuglet when he was appointed assistant at St. Anne's Parish, Detroit. He was pastor at St. John the Baptist Parish, Amherstburg, Ontario, 1925-32, and at St. Anne's Parish, Detroit, 1932-34. He served as assistant at Assumption Parish, Windsor, 1934-35, and in the same capacity at St. Anne's Parish, Detroit, 1935-37. Seven years as pastor of Assumption Parish followed. He returned to St. Anne's Parish in 1944 where he was a silent, hard-working assistant until his death in 1955 after a long period of ailing health. He was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

Father Beuglet was a simple, sincere and God-fearing priest. He had a deep personal devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to her mother, St. Anne. As pastor of Assumption Parish he introduced the Legion of Mary into the Diocese of London. He was not concerned with the purely social side of parish life and was a source of spiritual counsel that sprang from a heart fixed on divine things. In the midst of restless activity, he moved placidly, unhurried and unrushed.

During his years as pastor of Assumption Parish, the centenary of the church building was celebrated in 1943. Of this celebration Father E. J. Lajeunesse wrote in his History of Assumption Parish, "In 1942 the chapel was painted and the interior decorations of the church were cleaned, renovated, and illuminated with touches of gold leaf. It is not clear, however, just what was celebrated. It may be that Father Beuglet had been misled by an old historical plaque on the church grounds stating that Assumption church was built in 1843. `Abuilding' instead of `built' would have been more accurate as the church was not completed until three years later. In any case, week-long celebrations were held in the month of June... Very fittingly, the jubilee functions concluded on the feast of the Assumption with the unveiling and blessing of a souvenir stone placed on the grounds."

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Annals 1 (1943-50) 18-21, 2 (1951-59) 228-29; E.J. Lajeunesse: Outline History of Assumption Parish, 1797-1967 (Windsor, 1967).

BOBICHON, Emile, priest, organist, was born in Saint-Jean-de-Muzols in the Ardèche, France, on March 9, 1876, the son of Jules Bobichon and Rose Eymard. He died at Tournon in the Ardèche on August 27, 1959.

Father Emile Bobichon was educated at the Petit Séminaire de Vernoux. Then he entered the Novitiate and was professed on September l7, 1897. As a scholastic he served as recreation master at the Petit Séminaire d'Aubenas. He was ordained priest on September 20, 1902.

His many years in the priesthood were divided between the Petit Séminaire d'Aubenas and the Collège du Sacré-Coeur, Annonay, to which he came in 1931. Father Bobichon retired from teaching in 1949, because of age and failing health. He went to his family home at Tournon where he was cared for by his brother, Paul, a priest of the Diocese of Viviers. He died in 1959 and was buried in the cemetery at Tournon.

In the two schools where he taught Father Bobichon was placed over the lower classes. He was an able musician, played the organ and gave their early training in music to many priests in the Diocese of Viviers.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto Basilian Annals 2 (1951-59) 426.

BODINEAU, Auguste, deacon, was born in France on August 8, 1844. He died on February 16, 1875, and was buried in the private cemetery on the grounds of the Collège du Sacré-Coeur, Annonay.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967).

BONFILS, Fréderic, priest, was born in France on January 10, 1847. He died on March 13, 1918.

Source: Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967).

BONNET, Pierre, priest, was born in France on July 1, 1830. He died on October 8, 1870.

Father Pierre Bonnet taught at the Petit Séminaire de Vernoux, 1863-64.

Sources: Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967); Ordo, for the diocese of Viviers, 1864.

BORD, Antoine, priest, was born in France on December 15, 1826. He died on October 22, 1902.

Father Antoine Bord served as assistant at Prades from 1863 to 1869. Father Denis O'Connor suggested him for appointment as parish priest of Assumption Parish, Windsor, Ontario, when the Congregation was given charge of this parish in 1870 but nothing came of this recommendation.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967); Ordo, for the diocese of Viviers, 1864.

BOUCHET, Maurice, priest, was born in France on October 23, 1855. He died on December 6, 1942.

Source: Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967).

BOUCHET, Xavier, priest, was born in France on December 25, 1841. He died on July 19, 1919. At the time of his death he was in the 48th year of his religious life.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto, Catalogue of the Congregation of the Priests of St. Basil (Toronto, 1967).

BRENNAN, Laurence, priest, cousin of Father Patrick Ryan, was born in Lisdowney Parish, Kilkenny County, Ireland, on February 18, 1847, the son of John Brennan and Mary Ryan. He died at Toronto, Ontario, on June 30, 1904.

Father Laurence Brennan came to Canada at the age of seventeen on the invitation of his uncle, Father Jeremiah Ryan (1808-1880) of Oakville, Ontario. With him came his cousin, Father Patrick Ryan. The uncle sent his two nephews to St. Michael's College, Toronto, where they studied from 1864 until 1868 when both entered St. Basil's Novitiate, Toronto, on July 25th. Together they made final vows on December 2, 1871, and were ordained priests on May 1, 1872.

The greater part of Father Brennan's priestly life was spent as pastor of St. Basil's Parish in Toronto. First, however, he served as assistant at St. Mary's of the Assumption Parish, Owen Sound, Ontario, 1872-74. Then he was sent to France in the hope that a change of climate would help his health which was never robust. In 1875 he was back in Toronto, teaching history at St. Michael's College and serving as Director of Studies. Soon afterwards he became associated with St. Basil's Parish and in 1880 was appointed the first full-time pastor. In 1889 he was transferred to St. Mary's of the Assumption Parish in Owen Sound. Ill health shortened his stay there and he spent the winter of 1890 at Aiken in South Carolina looking into the possibility of a community foundation there. The year 1891 brought him back to St. Basil's Parish where he was pastor until his death in 1904. He was buried in the Basilian plot, St. Michael's Cemetery, Toronto.

An obituary written for the Catholic Register of July 7, 1904, and reprinted in Benedicamus in 1950 said of Father Brennan, "To great piety and exceeding charity and generosity, Father Brennan added the intellectual gifts of an alert man of business. The results of his successful financing were seen when he wiped out the debt upon his church and erected the Novitiate on St. Clair Avenue. The versatile character of his mind is evidenced by the fact that amidst the work and cares of a large parish he found time to collect and compile material for a large and well-assorted hymnbook. Anxious to introduce congregational singing among his people, a task he accomplished with a fair amount of success, he published St. Basil's Hymnal, a work now generally used in Canada and the United States."

Father Brennan was a priest who involved the laity in every project he undertook. It was a committee of laymen who were responsible for the publication of St. Basil's Hymnal. Prominent laymen served as teachers for the catechism classes held every Sunday for the children of the parish. With the men and the women of the parish behind him he made a series of improvements in St. Basil's Church: an addition to the nave, the present entrance and a new organ in 1887, the steeple in 1889, and a church bell in 1895.

Attention to present needs and thought for the future were ever on Father Brennan's mind. In 1903 he established a Student's Union which were later developed into the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto.

Concern for the Catholics living in the outlying parts of St. Basil's Parish caused him to purchase in 1881 fifty acres of farm land on St. Clair Avenue West on which in 1892 he built St. Basil's Novitiate whose chapel was the first place of worship for the new parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The farm itself provided produce for St. Michael's College and later sale of parts of it for real estate development furnished valuable financial assistance.

In addition to his parochial duties, Father Brennan served on the provincial council from 1883 until his death in 1904. He was some years Honorary President of the Catholic Truth Society of Canada.

On the first anniversary of his death the people of St. Basil's dedicated a stained glass window to his memory. In 1939 St. Michael's College named a new Dining Hall, Brennan Hall, in his honor.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Centennial, 1863-1963, St. Mary's of the Assumption Parish (Owen Sound, 1963); Benedicamus 3 (Jan. 1950) 24; Golden Jubilee, 1871-1921, St. Mary's Church (Owen Sound 1921); Mary Hoskin: History of St. Basil's Parish (Toronto, 1912); J. F. Madden: A Short History of St. Basil's Parish, 1856-1956 (Toronto 1956); Yearbook, St. Michael's College 9 (1918).

BRET, Jean Marie Antoine, priest, was born in the hamlet of Gare in the Ardèche, France, on September 8, 1872, the son of Jean Bret and Marie Marguerite Perdriole. He died at Gare on March 5, 1908, and was buried in the parish cemetery at Préaux.

Father Jean Bret began the study of Latin with the curé of Monestier and then entered the College du Sacré-Coeur in Annonay. After a short stay at the Grand Séminaire de Viviers, he entered St. Basil's Novitiate at Feyzin. Part of his studies for the priesthood were made at St. Charles College in Blidah, Algeria, where he was stationed for nine years. He was ordained priest at Annonay on September 20, 1902.

The anticlerical laws of 1903 obliged Father Bret to leave the college at Blidah and to return to his family. Later he was incardinated in the diocese of Viviers for the purpose of teaching in colleges at Avignon and Marseillcs. Ill health brought about his early retirement from teaching. His last active appointment was as assistant in the parish at Sanilhac.

Source: Basilian Archives in Toronto.

BRUNEL, Louis, priest, was born in France on August 24, 1837. As a subdeacon he taught at the Petit Séminaire d'Aubenas, 1863-64.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Ordo, for the diocese of Viviers, 1864.

BUCKLEY, Patrick L., priest, was born in Kilnamartyra, County Cork, Ireland, on April 13, 1844. He died at Port Huron, Michigan, on March 28, 1913.

Father Patrick Buckley emigrated at an early age to Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he grew up into a broad-shouldered, sturdily built young man. He was apprenticed to a blacksmith and was practicing his trade at Providence, Rhode Island, when he decided in 1874 to come to St. Michael's College, Toronto, Ontario, to study for the priesthood. Six years later he entered St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto. He took final vows on February 20, 1886, and was ordained priest on September 22, 1888.

After ordination Father Buckley was stationed at St. Michael's College until 1890 when he was appointed to St. Mary's of the Assumption Parish in Owen Sound, Ontario, where he was put in charge of St. Michael's Church in the Irish Block. In 1906 he was loaned to the diocese of London and served as pastor of St. Joseph's Parish, Corunna, until his death in 1913 which occurred while visiting a clerical friend in Port Huron. He was buried in the Basilian plot, Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto. At St. Michael's College, Father Buckley was a capable recreation and study hall master. In parish assignments he was devoted and effective. During his years in Owen Sound he served on the Board of the Owen Sound General and Marine Hospital.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Centennial, 1863-1963, St. Mary's of the Assumption Parish (Owen Sound, 1963); Golden Jubilee, 1871-1921, St. Mary's Church (Owen Sound, 1921 ).

BUFFERNE, Vincent, priest, was born in France, on July 7, 1849.

Source: Basilian Archives in Toronto.

BURBOTT, Eugene Michael John, priest, was born in Rochester, New York, on August 16, 1921, the son of Clarence Burbott and Catherine Luddy. He died in Rochester on July 14, 1962.

Father Eugene Burbott attended Holy Redeemer Parochial School and Aquinas Institute in his native city before entering St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto, Ontario, in 1939. After profession on August 15, 1940, he enrolled at St. Michael's College, Toronto, and graduated in 1944 with a B. A. from the University of Toronto. Two years of teaching followed: 1944-45 at St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas, and 1945-46 at Catholic Central High School in Detroit, Michigan. During these years he qualified for a Secondary School Teacher's Certificate for the State of Michigan. In 1947 he received an M. A. in Education from the University of Detroit, presenting jointly with Father Harold O'Leary a thesis on, The History of the Educational Work of the Basilian Fathers in Detroit, 1928-1946. He made his theological studies at St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto and was ordained priest on June 29, 1949.

The only appointment of Father Burbott's short priestly life was to St. Thomas High School, Houston, where he taught physics and served as a guidance counsellor. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1962 while visiting his parents and was buried in the Basilian plot, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester.

As a teacher Father Burbott carried out his duties in a competent and professional manner. A promise that he had made as a child never to waste a minute lay behind the numerous activities of his life and animated his untiring zeal for souls.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Annals 1 (1943-50), 3 (1960-66) 160-61.

BURKE, Richard Thomas, priest, was born in West Flamboro near Dundas, Ontario, on February 15, 1859, the son of Martin and Bridget Burke. He died at Toronto, Ontario, on November 22, 1941.

Father Richard Burke grew up in Sheffield, Ontario, and attended Galt Grammar School which, under the direction of William Tassie, had become one of the best known secondary schools in Ontario. He obtained a teacher's certificate, then joined the class of Belles Lettres at St. Michael's College, Toronto, in 1878. Three years later he went to Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario, to complete his philosophy and to teach. In September 1882 he entered the Grand Seminary in Montreal, as a student for the diocese of Hamilton. Ill health obliged him to withdraw at Christmas time. Thereupon his Bishop arranged for him to return to Assumption College where he studied theology, 1883-86. He was ordained priest on August 28, 1886.

After ordination Father Burke served as assistant at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Arthur, 1886-89; Sacred Heart Parish, Paris, 1889; St. Ambrose Parish, Galt, 1889-90; and St. Joseph's Parish, Macton, 1890-92. He was appointed pastor of St. Andrew's Parish, Oakville, in 1892. Early in 1900 he resigned his parish, obtained a release from his oath of service to the diocese of Hamilton and entered St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto. A biographical sketch printed in The Basilian on the occasion of the golden jubilee of his priestly ordination said of his religious vocation, "From his first days as a priest it was his desire and firm intention to enter religious life with the Basilians. The delay of fourteen years was in deference to his Bishop's need of his services."

After his profession on May 16, 1901, Father R. T. Burke was appointed to the staff of St. Michael's College where he taught until 1907, with the exception of one year, 1904-05, spent at St. Basil's College in Waco, Texas. He returned to the life of a parish priest in 1907 as pastor of St. Mary's of the Assumption in Owen Sound, Ontario, where he remained until 1916 when he was loaned to the diocese of Hamilton to serve as administrator of St. Basil's Parish in Brantford. During 1917-19 he had charge of St. Columban's Parish, St. Columban, thereby releasing a younger priest for service as a chaplain in the Canadian Army. From 1919 until 1930 he was stationed at St. Anne's Parish in Detroit, Michigan, where he served as religious superior during 1929-30. In 1930 he retired to St. Michael's College. He died from pneumonia in 1941 and was buried in the Basilian plot, Mount Hope cemetery, Toronto.

Father Burke was a priest who knew his limitations. The Basilian Centennial commemorative volume published at Owen Sound quoted a letter that he wrote on August 23, 1907, just after receiving his appointment as pastor of St. Mary's Parish, "I do not love `promotions' especially when they involve responsibilities of a trying nature. I prefer to serve rather than to be served... I shall have three assistants in Owen Sound, and all I desire is that we shall work harmoniously for the salvation of souls."

He was a full six feet in height, with an erect carriage that made him look every inch the dignified Irish pastor. Among his confreres Father Burke, who was called "Dodger", was known for his love of an antique violin of which he was quite proud.

Father Burke wrote some unpublished reminiscences during his retirement years and published a short article, "Piano moving, Old Style", in The Basilian 4 (Feb. 1938) 29 under the pseudonym of Fra Tempo.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto Basilian Centennial, 1863-1963, St. Mary's of the Assumption Parish (Owen Sound, 1963); "Father Richard Burke", in The Basilian 3 (Apr. 1937)

75; "Father R. T. Burke's Jubilee Year", in The Basilian 2 (Apr. 1936) 76; Golden Jubilee, 1871-1921, St. Mary's Church (Owen Sound, 1921); T. Spetz: The Catholic Church in Waterloo County (Toronto, 1916).

BURKE, James VINCENT, priest, Master of Scholastics, was born in the Township of Adjala, Ontario, on October 30, 1989, the son of James Burke and Margaret Mullen. He died at Detroit, Michigan, on April 8, 1949.

Father Vincent Burke was left an orphan in his pre-school years. An aunt raised him, sending him to school in Alliston, Ontario, and in 1915 to St. Michael's College School in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later he entered St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto and was professed on November 14, 1918. In 1924 the University of Toronto awarded him a B. A. in Honor English and History. The following year, 1924-25, he attended the Ontario College of Education in Toronto. He studied theology at St. Basil's Seminary, Toronto, and was ordained priest on December 19, 1925.

Assumption College in Windsor, Ontario, was his first appointment as a priest, and he stayed for five years. Then he was named Superior of a new foundation in the Newman Apostolate at the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, but the discovery of tubercular spots on his lungs sent him instead to Gabriels Sanatorium in the Adirondacks. Father Burke was at St. Michael's College, 1932-33 and 1934-35, and at Assumption College, 1933-34, before he again took up fulltime work in 1935 at St. Basil's Seminary where he was Superior and Master of Scholastics, 1938-43. Transferred to St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas, he was Superior and Principal for three years, then was appointed to St. Anne's Parish, Houston. In 1948 he came to St. Anne's Parish, Detroit, where he died suddenly in 1949. He was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

Father Vincent Burke endeavoured at all times to exemplify in his own life the love of God he urged upon students, parishioners and young confreres at St. Basil's Seminary.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto Basilian Annals I (1943-50) 237-38; Purple and White, Assumption College, Windsor, December 15, 1925.

BURNS, Edmund Eugene, priest, cousin of Father Francis Burns, was born in Detroit, Michigan, on July 12, 1908, the son of Matthew Burns and Delia Walsh. He died at Strawberry Island, Lake Simcoe, Ontario, on July 23, 1961.

Father Edmund E. Burns received his early education in Holy Redeemer Grade School, Detroit, then came in 1922 to Assumption College School, Windsor. Four years later he entered St. Basil's Novitiate in Toronto, Ontario, and was professed on August 11, 1927. The University of Toronto granted him a B.A. in 1932 and in 1933-34 he attended the Ontario College of Education, Toronto. He made his theological studies at St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto and was ordained priest on December 21, 1935.

The first assignment for Father Burns after ordination was to St. Michael's College School, Toronto, 1936-37. St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas, was his next post. There graduate courses in education brought him an M. A. from the University of Houston. In 1947 he moved to Assumption College School and in 1951 he received his last change of appointment, to Aquinas Institute in Rochester, New York, where he was assistant superior at the time of his death. He died in 1961 while on vacation at Strawberry Island and was buried in the Basilian plot, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester.

Father Edmund E. Burns was usually called "Tris" or "Speaker". In high school and college he was an outstanding athlete. He was a fine teacher of English, Latin and algebra, one who read extensively and who took frequent summer courses to extend his academic and professional competencies. Gifted with a fine tenor voice, he loved to sing and to direct music in the schools where he taught. Love of people was a characteristic that became manifest early in his life.

As a scholastic Father Burns contributed an article on "Charity and the Love of God" to The Basilian I (June 1945) 70.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; Basilian Annals 3 (1960-66) 89-90; Basilian Teacher 6 (Oct. 1961) 36.

BURNS, Edmund Toussaint, priest, was born in Arnherstburg, Ontario, on October 31, 1884, the son of John Burns and Mary Bastien. He died at Windsor, Ontario, on May 12, 1928.

Father Edmund T. Burns obtained his early education in the local Separate School, then in 1900 he enrolled at Assumption College in Windsor where he was a class leader. Seven years later he entered St. Basil's Novitiate, Toronto, Ontario, on August 15, 1907. After first profession he studied at the University of Toronto for two years. He made his theological course at St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto and was ordained priest on August 13, 1914.

Seven years of teaching at Assumption College followed ordination. In 1921 Father Burns was appointed pastor of Assumption Parish. In 1926 he went back to teaching at Assumption College. He died in 1928 from pneumonia and was buried in the Basilian plot, Assumption Cemetery, Windsor.

Father Burns taught English and French and loved to play on words in both languages. Father James Embser wrote of him in The Basilian Teacher, "Former students speak of him today as a perfect gentleman, they emphasize the word gentle; his life illustrated every facet of this virtue. Although without academic degrees, he was a studious man with a scholarly mind." In his History of Assumption Parish, Father Ernest Lajeunesse wrote, "As a pastor of souls Father Burns set a shining example. His kindness, scholarliness and understanding won the love of all and incurred the dislike of no one. His sermons, in English or in French, were simple, clear and persuasive homilies."

As an administrator, Father E. T. Burns dealt wisely with brick and stone, with finance and with the everyday aspects of parish life. He renovated and redecorated the church. A parishioner summed up his character in these words, "Le Pere Burns, il est si bon."

Two hobbies served as a diversion from his official duties, woodworking and the repairing of old clocks. In both he was highly skilled.

Sources: Basilian Archives in Toronto; J. W. Embser: "Edmund T. Burns, CSB", in The Basilian Teacher 2 (Apr. 1958) 17-l9; E. J. Lajeunesse: Outline History of Assumption Parish, 1767-1967 (Windsor, 1967); Purple and White, Assumption College, June 10, 1928.

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