Father J. Gerard Grondin, MM

Born: January 30,1918
Ordained: June 21, 1942
Died: December 3, 1966

J.Gerard Grondin was born on January 30, 1918 in Westbrook, Maine. After graduating from Montreal High School he attended Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts for two years and then went to the Venard in 1935. He was ordained on June 21, 1942 and departed for Bolivia on his first mission assignment in September of that year.

In 1945 he became Group Superior of our Guayaquil Mission in Equador. After the closing of that mission he was assigned to the Pando in 1948. In April of 1949 he was assigned to Musoma, Africa and in 1950 was appointed by Rome the Prefect Apostolic of Musoma. In 1957 he was named General Secretary of the Tanganyika Welfare Organization. In May, 1962 he was named to the General Council and took up his new job as Mission Secretary in October of 1962.

Father Grondin had suffered for some time from an illness and had been in and out of the hospital. On the day of his death Bishop Comber had visited him in Phelps Memorial Hospital and found him better than usual.

A concelebrated Mass took place at Maryknoll with his brother, Rev. E. R. Grondin, as principal celebrant on the 6th and burial followed in our cemetery.