Services set for retired Catholic bishop killed crossing highway in Enfield

Mark Hayward, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·2 min read
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Jun. 8—A 90-year-old retired Catholic bishop from Africa has been identified as the man who died on Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle while crossing a state highway in front of the La Salette shrine in the Upper Connecticut River Valley town of Enfield, officials said.

Bishop-emeritus Joseph Donald Pelletier was a La Salette missionary and retired bishop of the Diocese of Morondava, Madagascar. He was visiting the Enfield shrine, where he pursued his early studies that led to the priesthood, according to a statement on the shrine's website.

The accident occurred about 5:15 p.m. Saturday on Route 4A, said Enfield Police Chief Roy Holland. Emergency workers attempted life-saving measures, but they were unable to revive Pelletier. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The La Salettes opened a seminary at the Enfield location in 1928 and have operated a shrine at the location for 69 years, according to the La Salette website. At Christmas, its light display draws thousands.

In the late 1920s, it opened a high school seminary for boys. A native of Blackstone, Mass., Pelletier entered the minor seminary in 1944 at the age of 13 and pursued classic studies with the La Salette missionaries in Enfield and Brewster, Mass.

He professed his vows as a La Salette missionary in 1951 and was ordained in 1956. Two years later he arrived in Madagascar for missionary work.

In February 2000, Pelletier was ordained bishop of the Diocese of Morondava, which is located on the west coast of the island country. He was bishop for 10 years, then assumed emeritus status.

According to the website GCatholic.org, the diocese comprises about 79,000 Catholics, less than 10% of the total population of the area. It includes 27 parishes, two missions and 59 priests.

Holland said Pelletier had just arrived to Enfield, was visiting the shrine and was preparing to celebrate his 91st birthday on June 17.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Pelletier, a woman in her 60s, is cooperating with the investigation, Holland said. She was traveling northwest on the highway, which put her into the sun.

"We believe at this time a combination of the sun's direction and the victim just stepping out into the travel portion of the road contributed to the accident," he said.

Holland said he does not expect the driver will be charged.

A funeral Mass was scheduled for Wednesday at the National Shrine to Our Lady of La Salette. Another Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the La Salette Community Cemetery in Enfield. He will be buried in the community cemetery there.