CCCB Director of Ecclesial Relations and Doctrine Office: Death of Rev. Richard Côté, O.M.I.
Wednesday, March 09 2005
(Ottawa – CCCB) Rev. Richard Côté, a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), passed away at home in Ottawa, on 9 March 2005. He was Director of the Office for Ecclesial Relations and Doctrine at the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
Born 14 September 1934, Father Côté has been at the CCCB since 1 February 2001. Until December 2004, he was Director of the Theology Office of the CCCB, which has since been reorganized as the Office for Ecclesial Relations and Doctrine. For the past four years, he was the secretary for the Episcopal Commission for Theology of the CCCB.
After obtaining in 1967 a licentiate in theology from the University of Angers, France, and a doctorate in religious studies from the University of Strasbourg, France, Father Côté began his teaching career that same year at the National University of Lesotho in South Africa. He has also taught at Weston School of Theology, in Cambridge, Mass., at Xavier University and Loyola University in New Orleans, and at Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Mass. On staff at Saint Paul University in Ottawa since 1987, he was instrumental there in the growth of its Institute for Mission Studies, especially its ad intra program.
A prolific author, he has a number of works to his name. In addition to having worked with and prepared reports for the Assemblée des évêques du Québec, Father Côté has for a number of years served on the advisory committee of Concilium, an international journal of theology, as well as associate editor of Mission, formerly Kerygma, a biannual journal of mission studies, and also associate editor of Ministry, a quarterly theological review for Africa.
In demand as a resource person and speaker throughout Canada and Europe, he had served as provincial counsellor for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate for the Lesotho province (1967-69) and the Northern USA province (1980-86), as well as on the executive board of the USA Oblate formation conference.
Visitation will be held at the Deschâtelets Residence (175 Main St, Ottawa) on Sunday, March 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. as well as the following Monday morning starting at 10:00 a.m. A community prayer service will be held on Sunday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m., at Deschâtelets. The funeral will take place at Sacré-Coeur Church in Ottawa (on the University of Ottawa Campus) on Monday, March 14 at at 2:00 p.m., with Most Rev. Claude Champagne, O.M.I., Auxiliary Bishop of Halifax, presiding.
For More Information Contact:
Sylvain Salvas
Director, Communications Service
Tel: (613) 241-9461
Fax: (613) 241-9048
salvas@cccb.ca