TITLE:  The Rev. Robert M. Paradis,  Obituary, May 25, 2001

SUBMITTERS:  The Coos County Democrat EST. 1838 LANCASTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE  
             Publishing news & views of LANCASTER - GROVETON -WHITEFIELD 
             & other towns of the upper Connecticut River valley of New 
             Hampshire & Vermont - John D. Harrigan, Publisher 
             "All the news that fits"

FORMATTED:   by CParziale, June 2001

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The Rev. Robert M. Paradis 

LOWELL, Mass.---The Rev. Robert M. Paradis, 88, died on Friday,
May 25, 2001, at Saints Memorial Hospital in Lowell following a long
illness. He had served the Catholic Church for over 64 years. He was
known as an avid sportsman, who enjoyed the outdoors well into his
seventies. 

He was born on Jan. 6, 1913, the feast of the Epiphany, at Notre Dame
du Mont Carmel in Quebec. One of 11 children, he was the son of the
late Adelard and Marie (Beaulieu) Paradis. While still a child, his family
immigrated to the United States and settled in Nashua.
Fr. Paradis professed his first vows as a Missionary Oblate of Mary
Immaculate on Aug. 1, 1931 in Hudson, followed by his final vows four
years later on Sept. 8, 1935 in Natick, Mass. He was ordained to the
priesthood on June 20, 1937, by Bishop Thomas Emmett, S.J. in
Weston, Mass. 

His ministry began as an associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Lowell.
In 1943, he attended the Chaplain's training school at Harvard
University. He served as a captain in the Army Chaplain's Corps with
distinction in the European Theater, where his knowledge of the French
language was a great asset. He was highly decorated and was the
recipient of the Silver Star. After the war, he remained active with
several veterans' groups. 

After returning to civilian life, he served Oblate parishes in Fond du Lac,
Wisc., Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Palisades Park, N.J. He was eventually
reassigned to Lowell in Notre Dame de Lourdes parish, where many
remember his involvement in the early days of the Christian Family
Movement. 

In 1958, he was asked to serve as the chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital in
Nashua. His hospital experience served him well, when he became the
Catholic chaplain at the Connecticut Valley State Hospital in
Middletown, Conn. 

In 1975, he became the chaplain of the Sisters of the Presentation of
Mary in Hudson, then as the chaplain to the Daughters of Charity of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus in Littleton, the Brothers of Christian Instruction
in Alfred, Me., the Sisters of the Holy Union in Groton, Mass., the
Sisters of the Holy Cross in Manchester, and finally as the assistant
chaplain at D'Youville Manor in Lowell. During this period he also
served at the director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace in Colebrook,
and also as a member of the staff at the Shrine of St. Joseph the Worker
in Lowell. 

In June 1992, Fr. Paradis was reassigned to the Shrine of Our Lady of
Grace in Colebrook. In September 1999, due to failing health, he retired
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Residence in Tewksbury, Mass. 
He is survived by two sisters, Evelyn Landry of Pinellas Park, Fla. and
Bertha Hysette of Nashua. 
He was the brother of the late Sister Olivia Paradis (a sister of Joan of
Arc), Jeannette Cote, Maria Theriault, Lucia Malenfant, Lucien Paradis,
Yvonne Sirois, Cecile Mailhoit, and Jeanne D'Arc Desjardins. 

The funeral Mass was celebrated on Tuesday Burial was in the Oblate
Cemetery in Tewksbury, Mass. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions
may be made to the Oblate Retirement Fund, c/o the Northeast Area
Office, 60 Wyman St., Lowell, MA 01852-2841. 


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