In loving memory of

The Rev. Monsignor Wilfrid Henry Paradis

June 23, 1922 – June 25, 2013

Requiem Mass

St. Anthony of Padua Manchester, NH

July 16, 2013

Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis, expert at Vatican II, diocesan leader, dies at 91

The Rev. Monsignor Wilfrid Henry Paradis, 91, a “peritus” or expert adviser at the Second Vatican Council, and diocesan leader for over 50 years, died June 25 at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester. He had been a priest for 64 years.

Paradis was born on June 23, 1922, the son of the late Wilfrid Zenon Paradis and Alice (Dugre) Paradis of Manchester. Survivors include his younger sister Marcelle Paradis Lemay; a niece Corinne Foreman-Doherty and her husband David B. Doherty; and two grand-nieces Nicole Foreman and Jaime Foreman, all of Pembroke.

Vatican II

Bishop Ernest J. Primeau asked Paradis in 1960 to assist him with preparations for the Council, in light of the young priest’s educational background. He had earned an MA in history from St. Mary’s University and Seminary in Baltimore, prior to his ordination on June 11, 1949 by Bishop Matthew F. Brady.

Subsequently, Paradis won Fulbright scholarships and financial awards from the Department of State of the French government to pursue simultaneous doctorates in Paris: a PhD in history from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) in 1952, and a JCD in Canon Law from the Catholic University of Paris (L’Institut Catholique) in 1953.

All three advanced degrees were awarded summa cum laude.

He served as Primeau’s chief aide until 1965, working for two years on a preparatory commission and then attending all four of the Council’s annual sessions. He was accredited as a “peritus” or expert, one of about 460 from around the world, traveling on a Vatican passport. Primeau named Paradis a monsignor as papal chamberlain or aide several months before the Council began in 1962 and a prelate of honor to His Holiness in 1966, the year after its conclusion.

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The new monsignor took full advantage of opportunities to learn while in Rome. “I felt extremely grateful to have been alive at the time of the Council and to have participated in it,” he said. He lived and worked with theologians like John Courtney Murray, SJ who wrote the Council’s groundbreaking document on religious liberty. The younger priest climbed through library stacks and archives securing sources for his fellow peritus.

Paradis and some friends facilitated the gathering of clergy for informal discussion at their residence in what came to be known as the “Truth Room.” The unspoken credo was “no pulling rank.” He said, “It was as if the bishops had removed their episcopal rings before entering. They really wanted a frank exchange with international scholars.”

“Truth Room” discussions at Vatican II

Participants included (front row), Msgr. Paradis, Leon-Arthur-Auguste Elchinger, archbishop of Strasbourg, France; and Rev. John Courtney Murray, SJ, a key figure in the Council’s document on religious liberty. Standing from left, unidentified; and Rev. Hans Kung, a well-known Swiss theologian.

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Diocesan leader

Following Vatican II, Paradis’ life work became implementation of the Council’s vision of church governance and religious education. The goal was to set diocesan priorities by broad consultation, with an emphasis on listening. Through multiple leadership positions like Episcopal Vicar for Renewal, Episcopal Vicar for Christian Formation (established both offices), Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and Secretary to the Bishop, he led the formation of consultative groups for clergy, laity and religious sisters.

He facilitated the establishment of 125 pastoral councils, the first in the United States; also a Senate of Priests, Diocesan Council of the Laity, Diocesan Pastoral Council, Diocesan Sisters’ Council; and ten Christian Life Centers for adult catechesis and teacher training.

He became a national speaker at approximately 200 conferences on Vatican II, 40 of which were before Protestant and Jewish congregations. He wrote voluminous articles for Catholic publications, professional journals, historical reviews and encyclopedias, receiving several awards from the Catholic Press Association.

Named pastor at St. Anthony parish from 1967-1971, he modeled collaborative ministry, and shared decision-making authority with the pastoral council. He experimented with team ministry, merged a parish high school with two others, participated in the creation of a six-parish regional elementary school, and established a large catechetical program for students as well as active educational opportunities for adults.

Paradis was also a leader in community organizations, serving on the board of advisors of the New Hampshire Council of Christians and Jews, and the United Way of Greater Manchester. He was the first Catholic chairman of Judicatory Leaders of the New Hampshire Council of Churches.

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Diocesan Synod

From 1965 to 1968, Paradis coordinated the first diocesan synod in 100 years. Its purpose was to renew diocesan approaches to faith in documents like “The Church Witnessing,” “The Church Teaching,” and “The Church in New Hampshire in Dialogue.” The documents adopted pastoral language based on Vatican II, with a focus more on persuading than mandating.

Paradis set up a dozen preparatory commissions with over 300 members, 27 percent of whom were laity. That was a radical departure at the time. He brought in national experts to address diocesan-wide assemblies, while distributing 10,000 full text copies and over 800,000 summaries of draft synodal documents for comment.

Unfortunately, the synod’s efforts led to divisions amongst both clergy and laity; those committed to the Council’s vision versus those cautious about its direction. Ten documents were circulated but none were officially promulgated. Primeau felt the Roman Curia would most likely reject them for being insufficiently juridical in tone. The synod’s work was allowed to die, with no further action on its proposals.

This difficult episode is covered in Paradis’ award-winning history of the Diocese, Upon This Granite: Catholicism in New Hampshire 1647-1997. He said that Primeau’s resignation in 1974 at the age of 65 – ten years before the normal retirement age for bishops – was the result of disillusionment and exhaustion.

Both Primeau and Paradis acknowledged that the attempt at substantial renewal with genuine sharing of decision-making authority had only lasted roughly ten years. The synod’s purpose would have been better served, Paradis concluded, by “a long and intensive period of education and prayer.”

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Lay ministries

Over the decades, lay ministries in parishes grew significantly, prompted in large measure by the clergy shortage. Non-ordained pastoral associates and directors of religious education were among newer areas of participation. Meanwhile, episcopal vicars, created after the Council, expanded the delegation of authority amongst clergy. They function with the power of the bishop in a specific area; Paradis was among the first vicars. The later creation of diocesan secretaries meant laypeople could in effect hold cabinet positions.

While Paradis recognized this much-increased lay involvement in church administration, he believed it was still more in an advisory capacity than the shared executive authority he envisioned from the Council.

Reshaped US Catholic religious education

In 1973, Paradis went to Washington to join the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) where he directed the research, writing and publication of the first national guidelines for religious

education. The project was authorized at Vatican II as a means of fostering a mature faith capable of addressing the complex needs of contemporary society. Working with Sr. Mariella Frye, a Mission Helper of the Sacred Heart, he developed Sharing the Light of Faith, widely known as the National Catechetical Directory.

Reinforcing the scope of renewal the Council recommended, Paradis organized the largest and most in-depth consultation ever undertaken in Catholic religious education in this country. He sought

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theological perspectives from various scholars and involved constituencies across cultural, ethnic, racial, educational and ecumenical boundaries, including Protestant and Jewish organizations. Some 100,000 recommendations poured in.

Paradis spoke in 90 cities where audiences cheered his unprecedented solicitation of their ideas. His office distributed three drafts to participants to assure their views were properly understood. The directory was “the centerpiece of catechetical renewal in this country and a truly historic contribution to Catholic life,” said Bishop Thomas C. Kelly, USCC general secretary at its completion in 1977. It was the standard reference for 28 years, with a circulation of more than 300,000 copies.

In 1977 Paradis was appointed secretary of education for the national bishops’ conference. In that capacity, he was a liaison with the White House, and testified before committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives on educational matters.

Testifying before Congress, 1979

Msgr. Paradis testified before the US House of Representatives as secretary of education for the United States Catholic Conference. The bill considered the creation of a federal Department of Education.

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Appointments in Rome

He served as official consultant to the American hierarchy at the Synod of Bishops in Rome in 1977. The American bishops’ interventions, based on the new catechetical directory, were regarded as among the most influential contributions to the success of that gathering.

In 1981 the Holy See named Paradis to a five-year term on the International Catechetical Council, a consultative body responsible for religious education of Catholics around the world. He is the only New Hampshire priest ever appointed to such a Vatican post.

On return to New Hampshire in 1980, Paradis devoted 18 years to writing the diocesan history, which won a national award from the American Association for State and Local History. His goal was to publish “a valid historical work, not a piece of public relations for the Church.”

In earlier years, Paradis had also held positions in pastoral ministry. He was chairman of the Religion Department and a history teacher at Bishop Bradley (now Trinity) High School, and simultaneously an assistant at St. Theresa parish 1953-1957. In addition, he continued his responsibilities on the Diocesan Tribunal, begun in 1953, as successively secretary, defender of the bond and vice-officialis.

At Bishop Bradley High School 1953-1960 with, from left, Rev. Robert Vickery and Rev. Gerald Auger.

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He also spent a decade as chaplain at St. Peter’s Orphanage, and chaplain to the Jutras Post of the American Legion.

When the sexual abuse scandal came to light in 2002, Paradis courageously spoke out for transparency, complimenting the press for forcing the church to look at itself. He openly addressed the fraternal culture of clergy that protected its members at the expense of children. In working on the diocesan history, he said he found gaps in files, which the Attorney General’s office noted as well. Paradis was a public voice for accountability, appreciated for his forthrightness, and appalled at the Church’s record.

Paradis earned his BA degree with honors in chemistry at St. Anselm College in three years in 1943. He pursued a pre-medical course, and noted wryly that his schedule meant one year less of tuition costs. The college awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1979, as did Notre Dame College in 1992. He was the recipient of eight awards from ecumenical, educational and historical associations, and is listed in Marquis’ Who’sWho in America.

Silver Star for Gallantry in Action

Paradis volunteered for military service after college, training as a combat medic. Serving in France, Germany and Austria, PFC Paradis endured intense frontline combat for almost seven months, just shy of the allowable limit. Only 14 percent of the men in his original company were left after two months, due to the high casualty and illness rates. Lieutenants survived 22 days on average.

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Per Army records, a German sniper bullet hit Paradis’ commanding officer in the thigh, severing his femoral artery. While on open ground and in plain view of the deadly sniper, the medic nonetheless went to the officer.

Paradis ignored the officer’s advice to seek cover, and despite close mortar fire covering both men with dirt and the ping of nearby sniper bullets, he applied a tourniquet within 60 seconds that saved the officer from bleeding to death. He further remained with the lieutenant on the exposed hill for more than eight hours, providing what treatment he could, and later evacuating him to safety.

Several weeks afterwards, when a major general pinned the Silver Star on Paradis’ uniform – the third highest military honor – in honest perplexity and humility, he said he had to ask why, and for what? Paradis also won the Bronze Star, the Combat Medical Badge, the Presidential Unit Meritorious Citation, and three battle stars, including for the Battle of the Bulge. He was 23 years old.

On returning home in late 1945, the seasoned veteran abandoned medicine as a career in favor of helping people spiritually. “After seeing the human condition at its most primitive and brutish,” he said, “my mind shifted away from science. I was more concerned with the interior, spiritual life than with physical well-being.”

He entered seminary two months later.

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Some Childhood Memories of St. Anthony’s Parish

By Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis

Despite its humble appearance, our parish church was highly esteemed by most of the members of the parish. It was the center of our lives in almost every important way. If someone had visitors, it was usually pointed out with pride, as well as was the new school.

Nearly anyone who was asked where she or he came from in the city in Manchester would identify it as Saint Anthony Parish. Nothing more was needed. It was not uncommon for men, and some women and young people, who walked or drove by Saint Anthony or any other Catholic Church to make a slight bow or tip the hat to the Blessed Sacrament in the church, a custom probably not even remembered today.

In the late 1920s up until roughly the end of the 1960s, the Church would remain open from about six in the morning to seven or later at night, with no fear of vandalism or desecration, so that anyone could come in and pray in quiet. Only the collection box for the poor and the coin box for the votive candles were in slight danger from burglars with no apparent fear of the wrath of God.

On Sundays, most of the five or six Masses were filled to capacity, with some late-comers forced to stand outside by the open doors. My father was often one of them because of his late hours of work.

This raised another moral question: How far could one be from the celebrant and still validly fulfill the Sunday obligation, a Church precept that was required under the pain of mortal sin, in usual circumstances?

Even omitting those who smoked or read the Sunday paper sold at the bottom of the church steps, which were obviously doing

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something unquestionably sinfully wrong, the question of distance and attention to the religious service were of major concern.

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When I was either in the third or fourth grade I became an altar server, an honor then reserved only for males. In our Catholic environment, it was not surprising that a large number of boys hoped to be chosen to serve at the altar: That was my strong desire as well.

Being chosen by the clergy of the parish was rather uncomplicated for me. By chance, my mother was a devout and involved member of the Church, who had known both of the associate pastors of Saint Anthony. They and my mother had been neighbors of about the same age during their childhood and youth in Saint Augustin parish.

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I served in that capacity until I graduated from high school at the age of seventeen. In the latter years of this service, I became the head of the altar servers and trained the novices in the complexities of the Latin Mass. As I grew older, I was not without noticing that the youngest servers were wobbly and unsure of themselves as they moved around the sanctuary. I am sure that all of their mothers (and others), however, thought this was 'cute,' as my own mother had when I was wandering bewildered up there. For my services as head altar server I was paid $1.00 a week, that is a little more than 14 cents a day.

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Each parish was - and is - rather autonomous, with the pastor, by canon law, the sole authority in his territory. In the case of Father Doucette, he was in charge of an old wooden church, a large new school, a rectory, a convent, a janitor's home (with tobacco field),

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and small parish hall, and of course, a sand pit. The parish hall was under the church.

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Central to all of this was the small wooden church above the parish hall that could only be reached by climbing some twenty to twenty-five steps. That was also true of a separate access to the sacristy. No thought, as evident, was given to the elderly or the handicapped.

Observing a casket being carried in up these steep steps, particularly in winter or in slippery weather, by six determined men, was a feat that I vividly remember. On many occasions, there was slipping, tottering and near falling by the pallbearers.

The funeral director, who usually followed behind the coffin and steadied it as best he could, was often in danger of being crushed, if the bearers failed to make it to the top.

On numerous occasions, one could actually hear the body of the deceased shift to the lower end of the coffin on the person's final trip to the parish church. The body was displaced again on the less than easy departure from Church.

I personally observed and heard this in close to terror in my function as altar server. My Durer-like clasped hands in front of my neat surplice began to tighten. I nearly stood on the tip of my toes, and hardly dared draw a breath until all were safely on the small porch of the Church.

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Requiem Mass

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

10 AM

Celebrant Rev. Fr. Richard H. Dion Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua Processional hymn Requiem Aeternam First Reading Wisdom 3:1-9 Psalm Response Shepherd Me, O God (Psalm 23) Second Reading Revelation: 21:1-5a, 6b-7 Presentation of Gifts Nicole Foreman Jaime Foreman Offertory hymn How Great Thou Art Communion hymn I Am the Bread of Life Meditation hymn Ave Maria Recessional hymn On Eagle’s Wings Lector/server David Gagnon Cantor Rosemary Johnson

Organist Travis Catello

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