Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-02-12
MONSIGNOR
BY ALL
DIES IN 87TH YEAR

Af.er neatly a half century OF faith frl .
service with the French people of Bar. |
llnston. Monsignor Jerome iarie Closrec.
affectionately called The Grand Old
Man. beloved and venerated by Prot
estants and Catholics alike. d.sti Tues
day afternoon at 2:3 o'clock sfte. an
illness OF only four days. aged So years.
lie was suffering from u cold last
week, but did no; fee! i'll enough 20
give up his work and oftciated at the
funeral Of Miss Virginia F-arcin on Fri.
day morning. In the afternoon he grew
worse and the cold developed into pneu-
monia. He was active to the Last and
only last week went out at midnight to
administer the last rites of the church
to Peter Girard. In illness as In health,
Monsignor Cloarcc was faithful TO his
, duties In the church. All through his
| delirium no vas carrying out his work
! and last Sunday night he was continually
talking of the funeral Of Mrs, Louis
Gossclin, an old psrishione-. whose
funeral took place on Monday and AZ
which he expected to oflciate. Ills spirit
of sacrifice. too, never left HIM. :or Il
was f., ossible for either nurse or Doctor
TO Set i'm to allow a drop OF water TO
pass ~ lips as he wished t. remain
| iootiiA6 ~ ~ ~ OA1 I'm ADA =
| Ace of the Mass.
| en- Monday he seemed to realiz. that the
| end was near. for he turned to Father
, Jscouture, who has been associated with
him Tor many years, and said, - think
that my day has come"
! Monsignor Cloarec was one of those
| rare men who never seem to Irow old.
Although nearly ST years old ut the
time of his death he could read per-
fcctly without glasses and his hearing
was unimpaired. His health seemed
good and he was in no way feeble.
Last year, when the Influenza epidemic
ragged In the city. Monsignor Cloarcc
worked day and night administering
the last rites to the sick, doing all he
could to make the sick of his parish
more comfortable and officiating at
funerals. At one time he was the only
priest at st. Joseph's to take charge of
the funerals. AS both FIR. Lacouturc and
FIR. Billion were i'll. but this strenuous
work seemed to have no bad effect up
on him.
7, his early years FIR. Cloarec saw to
tn. wants OF his large parish all alone
as at that time there were no assis-
tants. The list of people he has married
during the 40 years he has served here
is long and many a bride has come to
be married by the priest who married
her mother and father. Then there are,
too. many babies whom he has baptiz-
ed who have lived all of their years
up to young manhood and ~womanhood
and who have always been under his
influence. To them he was a part of
their lives. On many occasions the peo-
ple' of the diocese of Burlington have
come together to show their love and
respect for this grand old man. In 1908.
on June 29th and 30th. the members of
st. Joseph's parish tendere him a. re-
ception in honor of the golden jubilee
of his priestly ordination. In this re-
ception many of the prominent people
of Burlington tool part. This ceremony
was remarkable for the spirit of ex-
ultant gladness that filled the hearts
of all. Five years later. on June II,
1918, FIR. Closrec fittingly celebrated
his S0th birthday and the day follow
ing as If to prove that his years had
little effect on his great constitution,
left for Europe. He was absent about
three months, having visited the scenes
OF his youth in Brittany and the Eter-
nal City. On his return ne was greeted
with joyous acclamations by his
parishioners and friends.
In 1918 was celebrated his diamond
jubilee, the 60th anniversary of his or
dlnation, and in that no took an active
part In all the festivities of the two days
July 3 and 4. celebrating the high mass
and responding with enthusiasm to the
address given in his honor. The little
children of the diocese of Burlington look
ed to him with all the devotion of their
young lives. and they were allowed to
observe his birthday by having the schools
close on that day. the 18th of June.
To all of his friends and the people of
his parish the death of Father Cloarec
comes AS a great shock. There Is little
that can be said that can express the true
feeling of the community and the church