Born: Saint-Cuthbert, Lower Canada, May 26, 1820
Took the habit: Longueuil, October 12, 1844
Vows: Longueuil, November 1, 1845 (No. 147)
Priestly ordination: Montreal, November 9, 1845
Dispensed from vows: January 3, 1854
Died: Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon, Canada, January 18, 1891.
Hercule Thomas Clément was born in Saint-Cuthbert, in the Montreal region, on May 26, 1820. His parents were Thomas Clément and Amable Paquet. Having entered the Oblate novitiate in Longueuil on October 12, 1844, he took vows on November 1, 1845 and was ordained to the priesthood in Montreal on the following November 9.
He was assistant priest in the parish of Notre-Dame, Bytown, and missionary to the Amerindians of Témiscamingue and Abitibi from 1846 to 1847. Then he ministered in Saguenay and on the northern shores of the Saint Lawrence river from 1847 to 1848 before being appointed pastor in South Gloucester, near Ottawa, in 1848. He founded the residence in Maniwaki in 1850 and lived there until 1854, while visiting the Amerindians of Saint-Maurice and James Bay during the summers of 1852 and 1853.
In the general council meeting of January 3, 1854 the decision of the extraordinary council of the Canadian Province to expel this priest was confirmed and the following reasons were given: “For quite some time now Father Clément has become intolerable to his brothers because of his difficult character, his spirit of criticism and disunion; day by day he is becoming more difficult to manage by his superiors and he has become more of a burden to the Congregation than he is useful in his ministry. Besides, he has no love for this family which adopted him as one of its children.”
Having joined the diocese of Montreal, he became pastor of Farnham in 1854-1856, assistant priest in Saint-Cuthbert in 1856-1858, pastor in Saint-Rose de Laval in 1858-1860, and in Rawdon in 1860-1866. He then retired from active ministry to Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon and there he died accidentally on January 18, 1891.
Yvon Beaudoin, o.m.i.
