Born: Saint-Pal-de-Mons (Haute-Loire), France, December 4, 1830
Took the habit: N.-D. de l’Osier, October 31, 1848
Vows: N.-D. de l’Osier, November 1, 1849 (No. 266)
Priestly ordination: Marseillle, March 11, 1854
Episcopal ordination: Mission City, October 24. 1875
Died: New Westminster, Canada, June 1, 1899.

Paul Durieu was born in Saint-Pal-de-Mons, southeast of Monistrol, in the department of Haute Loire, France, on December 4, 1830. His family were country people. Paul did his classical studies in the ecclesiastical college of Monistrol and he entered the Oblate novitiate in Notre-Dame de l’Osier on October 31, 1848. He took vows there on November 1, 1849. Having done his theological studies in the major seminary of Marseilles, he was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop de Mazenod on March 11, 1854. His first obedience was to the Oregon mission and, having devoted some months to the study of English, he left from Liverpool on September 7 and arrived in Olympia, Washington State, on December 10, 1854. He ministered to the Yakima Amerindians in the mission of Saint Joseph, Athanum (1855-1856), in Tulalip and Puget Sound (1857), in Esquimalt (1859), in the Okanagan and Thompson Valleys and in Kamloops (1859) in New Westminster and in the valley of the Fraser River (1864), in Fort Rupert on Vancouver Island (1865), then in Mission City (1868). In 1870 he was appointed vicar general of the apostolic vicariate of British Colombia and superior of the missions.

He was appointed titular bishop of Marcopolis and coadjutor with right of succession to the Vicar apostolic of British Colombia (by decree of Propaganda dated May 25). His episcopal ordination was in Mission City (Matsqui) on October 25. Bishop D’Herbomez, titular bishop of Miletopolis and vicar apostolic of British Colombia was the ordaining prelate. He was assisted by Bishop Lootens, titular bishop of Castabala and vicar apostolic of Idaho, and Bishop Seghers of Vancouver Island. As coadjutor, he visited the missions of the interior: Stuart Lake in 1876, Kootenay in 1877, and Cariboo on 1888. He became vicar apostolic on June 3, 1890 and first bishop of New Westminster when the apostolic vicariate became a diocese on September 2, 1890 (by decree of Propaganda dated August 25). Since he was appointed vicar of Oblate missions, he was present at the Oblate general chapters held in France in 1893 and 1898. He died in New Westminster on June 1, 1899, having developed gastric problems. His funeral took place in the cathedral of Saint Peter, New Westminster, on June 5 and he was buried in the Oblate cemetery of Mission City.

He had succeeded in mastering the Amerindian languages to a remarkable degree, as can be seen from the works he published. In his years of ministry he worked among the Yakima but also among the Snohomish, the Salish, the Chinook, the Squamish and the Kwakiutl. As a missionary he did not limit his activity to preaching. He vaccinated the Amerindians against smallpox. His missionary methods among the Amerindians have been compared to those of the Jesuits in Paraguay (which incidentally were also used by the Jesuits in Colville, Washington State with whom he had contact) because he fostered a settled life style among the tribes and he believed that this way of life was more adapted to the development of temperance and that catechists could promote the morals of the people. The idea was to promote a “Catholic tribal theocracy”. He was certainly one of the pioneers of inculturation, tolerating traditional customs as far as possible. He was in favour of developing ceremonies adapted to native culture with the use of Amerindian music and languages, even though he was later to be accused of developing a paternalistic system that did not sufficiently entrust responsibility to the Amerindians and kept them in a state of dependence. He also rebelled against the politics which aimed to deprive the Amerindians of their land. He built several churches in the mining districts (Cranbrooke, Nelson, Revelstoke, Kelowna, etc.), as well as Nazareth Seminary and Saint Mary’s Hospital in Vancouver.

Jean LeBlanc