Brother Paul R. Demers S.C., D.Min.

BROTHER PAUL RENE DEMERS, S.C. (also known as Brother Dominic), 82, a resident of Nashua, New Hampshire, since 1988, died at Philip Hulitar Hope Hospice in Providence, RI, on March 29, 2019, at 10:55 AM. Brother Paul, son of the late Beatrice A. Vezina and Rene Thomas Demers, was a native of Manchester, NH. He joined the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in August 1951 at Pomfret, CT, making his first vows on August 24, 1955. In 1961, Brother Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from St. Michael’s College in Winooski, VT. He went on to earn three Master’s degrees: in Latin Education, St. Michael’s, 1968; Biblical Studies, Providence College, 1981; and in Divinity, the Weston School of Theology, 1981. Finally, Brother Paul was awarded a Doctor of Ministry degree from Boston University in 1988. During eleven years of his ministerial career, Brother Paul taught English, Latin and religion at several of the Brothers’ schools: Central Falls, RI, St. Laurent, Quebec, and Woonsocket, RI, before being asked to assume the role of principal and local superior at Sacred Heart Academy in Central Falls, RI, and Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket, RI, for a total of six years. He returned to the classroom as a student in 1980 to further his own theological formation and in 1981 was called by his Brothers to become an ordained Brother of the Sacred Heart in 1981, a leadership role in the community that both he and others valued in him until his passing. Always a teacher at heart, Brother Paul mentored students in the classroom in the fields of bioethics, peace studies, and world religions at both the high school and university levels, but he cherished his ministry as chaplain at both Bishop Guertin High School and Rivier University for over 30 years. A lifelong leaner, he audited classes and taught through last semester, only relinquishing his time in the classroom when he took ill at the end of that semester. His zest for life, his passion for justice, and his love for people, especially the underdog and marginalized, were insatiable. Brother Paul was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by three brothers: Dennis Demers, Donald Demers and Gerard Demers. All services for Brother Paul will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at the Brothers’ Pascoag Community, 685 Steere Farm Road, Pascoag, RI 02859. A wake will be held in the Brothers’ Chapel from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM., followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 11:00 AM and interment on the grounds of the Pascoag community. A reception will take place in the community residence. Donations in memory of Brother Paul may be sent to Bishop Guertin High School (194 Lund Road, Nashua, NH 03060) or to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation (4600 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70122).

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