Richard Cote OMI

Rev. Richard G. Cote, OMI, 70, died suddenly on March 9, 2005 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
He was born on Scptember14, 1934, in Lewiston, ME, the son of the late Albert C. and Mary (Davis) Cote.
Rev. Cote joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in August of 1954 at their Novitiate in Colebrook, NH. He professed his perpetual vows on September 8, 1958 in Natick, MA. He was ordained to the priesthood on September 15, 1960 at Ste Jean-Baptiste Church, Lowell, MA by Bishop Louis Collignon, OMI.

His first obedience was to Basutoland, Africa in 1961. During his years in Africa, he was Gcneral Secretary of the Lcsotho Ecumenical Association from 1967-69 then Provincial Consultor for the
Lesotho Oblate Province of Southern Africa from 1970-73. In 1974 he was an expert consultant at the 1974 Synod of Bishops in Rome.

He returned to the states in 1979 as Associate Professor at Loyola University in New Orleans where he taught Musicology. He then went on to become director of the Oblate pre-novitiate program in Brighton, MA, then Director of Formation, and Coordinator of Lay Leadership and Ministries. From 1980-86 he was both a member of the Provincial Council of Ste Jean-Baptiste Province and an Executive Board Member of the Oblate Formation Conference of the U.S.

Following these assignments he taught at Oblate College in Washington, D.C., and then taught for one year at the University of Ottawa. For the next two years he was assigned to the Oblate Seminary Residence in Brighton. MA. Finally, in September of 1989, he left for Ottawa where he had been a professor at St. Paul University. Fr. Cote was in demand as a resource person and speaker in Canada and Europe until his death.

Donations in Fr. Cote's memory may be made to the Oblate Infirmary Fund, P.O. Box 419, Tewksbury, MA 01876.