Peter Adrian St. Hilaire (1915 - 1981)

Born 29 Jun 1915 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

Ancestors

Died 26 Oct 1981 at age 66 in Stearns, Minnesota, United States

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Biography

Peter was born in 1915. He was the son of Hilaire St. Hilaire and Marie Joncas. He passed away in 1981.

Provided by St John's Abby: Liturgical Press 2950 St John's Rd, Collegeville, MN 56321 Father Peter Adrian St. Hilaire died on Monday, October 26, 1981 at 6:00 a.m.

Father Peter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 29, 1915 and had deep roots in a sturdy and close-knit French-Canadian family which included many generations of voyageurs, traders, and lumbermen. He had six sisters and two brothers. To his associates he was ever known as “The Frog.” He loved to “swap yarns” and to socialize with his confreres. He joined the St. John’s community on July 11, 1936 and was ordained on June 7, 1942. His career in our community reflected many types of obedience. He guided our Prep students as a prefect for four years and served for over thirty-nine years in our parishes and missions in New York City, St. Cloud, Hastings, Cold Spring, and St. Mary’s Indian Mission at Redlake. While active in the pastoral ministry in St. Cloud, he also brought guidance and solace to the residents of the Minnesota Correctional Facility there, serving as chaplain for sixteen years. He developed an early interest in this apostolate while ministering in a prison in New York City and prepared himself by taking a series of courses in clinical psychology at Fordham University.

As a monk he was ever ready to serve wherever his superiors asked him to go. He frequently was given unwelcome and troublesome assignments, but he managed to preserve a jovial and undaunted spirit trusting in the Lord to uphold him. He was favored to have participated in a communal parish anointing the day before his death. We are very grateful for the many years of dedicated service which Father Peter rendered to our community.

The concelebrated Mass of Resurrection was offered on Wednesday, October 28, 1981 at 3:30 p.m. in the abbey church and was followed by the burial in the abbey cemetery.

Sources

• Ancestry.com. Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001.
• Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Minnesota, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 203.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86547251/peter-st_hilaire: accessed 27 October 2022), memorial page for Rev Fr Peter St. Hilaire (29 Jun 1915–26 Oct 1981), Find a Grave Memorial ID 86547251, citing Saint John's Abbey Cemetery, Collegeville Township, Stearns County, Minnesota, USA; Maintained by Steven M. Wielenberg (contributor 47544806).