MISSION CATHOLIQUE, MADAGASCAR — His Excellency, Bishop Emeritus Joseph Donald Pelletier, M.S., of the diocese of Morondava, Madagascar died on June 4, 2022, in Enfield, NH. Bishop Pelletier was a Missionary of Our Lady of La Salette. He was the son of the late Donat and Alice (Aubin) Pelletier of Blackstone MA. Born on June 17, 1931, in Blackstone, Massachusetts, he entered the La Salette minor seminary in 1944 and pursued his classic studies with the La Salette Missionaries in Enfield NH and Brewster MA. He professed his religious vows as a La Salette Missionary on July 2, 1951. After further studies in Attleboro MA, he went to Rome, being Ordained a Priest on October 28, 1956. In 1958 he left to proclaim the Gospel to the Malagasy people, ministering in Morondava, Madagascar. On February 13, 2000, Madagascar he was Ordained Bishop of the diocese of Morondava. In 2010 he became Bishop Emeritus. Please pray for the repose of his soul.
He was pre-deceased in his call to eternal life by many family members: his parents Donat and Alice (Aubin) Pelletier, his sister Gertrude and her husband Paul Laferriere, brother Roger Poirier, aunt and uncle Anna and Frederick Poirier, and members of the Aubin and Bibeault families. Living relatives include his aunts: Margaret Aubin and Irene Pelletier, nieces and nephews: Donald Laferriere, Alice Bedard, Claire Boudreau, Richard Laferriere, David Laferriere, Gerard Laferriere, Susan Brunelli, James Laferriere, and many cousins.
Wake Service will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, 947 Park Street, Attleboro, MA 02703. The Funeral Mass will be held there on Wednesday June 8, 2022, at 10:00 AM. Both the Wake and the Mass of the Resurrection for Bishop Donald Pelletier, MS., will be live-streamed on the website of the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette (Attleboro). You can access the live streaming by clicking this link: https://lasaletteattleboroshrine.org/livestream
A Mass will also be held at the La Salette Shrine in Enfield, New Hampshire on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 10:00 AM followed by his interment at the La Salette Community Cemetery also in Enfield.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to La Salette Mission Center, 4650 S. Broad-way, St. Louis, MO 63111.
