In Memory

Fr. Ronald Pete, S.F.M.
1933-2005

Summer 2005

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After a difficult struggle with cancer, Fr. Ronald Thomas Pete died on Tuesday, March 22, at Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. During his last days, family and friends accompanied him around the clock and prayed with him.

Fr. Pete is predeceased by his father Thomas and his stepfather Lawrence. He is survived by his 91-year-old mother Linda, his brother Raymond and his stepbrother Albert Pottie.

Born on September 5, 1933, in East Chester, Nova Scotia, Fr. Ron was the son of Thomas and Linda Pete. After graduating from St. Patrick's High School in Halifax, he entered St. Francis Xavier Seminary in 1954. He was ordained to the priesthood for Scarboro Missions by Archbishop Joseph Berry in Halifax on August 21, 1960.

Assigned to Guyana in 1961, he served there for 14 years, first at Our Lady of Fatima Parish and then at other parishes throughout the country.

In 1975 he attended the Maryknoll Mission Institute in New York. Returning to Toronto, he took a photography course at Seneca College and in 1977 he was assigned to work with Sr. Doris McMullen in Scarboro Missions' audiovisual department.

After completing a one-year pastoral education program at Toronto Western Hospital in 1981, he spent three months doing a chaplain internship program at Kingston Penitentiary.

Fr. Ron was then assigned to promotion work and for nearly three years he visited parishes throughout Canada promoting Scarboro Missions.

In September 1984 he began working with Toronto's Korean community and went to Korea for a year to study the language. Returning to Canada, he was appointed by the Archdiocese of Toronto as associate pastor to St. Andrew Kim Dae Kun Parish where he continued to serve the Korean community until 1997.

Fr. Ron then headed to Eastern Canada to help out for a year in Grand Falls Diocese, Newfoundland, in the parishes of King's Cove, Plate Cove and Summerville. After this he began studies at Ecce Homo, a Centre for Biblical Formation in Jerusalem.

Returning to Canada he was appointed pastor of East Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, by Archbishop Prendergast for four years. His most recent appointment was as chaplain to the seamen of the Port of Halifax.

Many of Fr. Ron's former parishioners attended the wake service at St. Genevieve's Parish in East Chezzetcook on March 28. Archbishop Prendergast presided and Fr. Phillipe Thibodeau, chaplain at Victoria General Hospital, spoke of how Fr. Ron had touched his life in his last days.

The Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated at St. Mary's Basilica in Halifax with some 20 priests concelebrating and about 300 people in attendance. Archbishop Prendergast was the principal celebrant, accompanied by the former archbishops, James Hayes and Austen Burke. Fr. Jack Lynch, Superior General of Scarboro Missions, concelebrated, gave the homily and presided at the committal at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

That same day, a Memorial Mass was celebrated at Scarboro Missions. Fr. John Carten presided and Fr. Ron's classmate Fr. John Walsh gave the homily. The associate pastor at St. Andrew Kim spoke of Fr. Ron's initiative to found a prayer group for young people at the parish. Of the group, three have been ordained to the priesthood and three women have entered religious life.

Friends of Fr. Ron spoke of how he had influenced their families and their lives in a very positive way and how much they would miss his humour and cheerful presence. Several humorous stories were told about his enjoyment of tinkering with cars and radios.

We give thanks to the Lord for the gift that Fr. Ron has been to the Scarboro community. May he rest in peace.

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