Duck Lake Priest Passes Away
Monday, May 29, 2006 at 13:44
A Roman Catholic priest well known in Saskatchewan’s Aboriginal community has died.
Father Gilles Doucette of Duck Lake passed away on Saturday.
He is perhaps best known for being the director of the “Our Lady of Lourdes” Shrine in St. Laurent from 1975 to 1998.
Thousands of First Nations and Metis people from across the North have attended a pilgrimage at the shrine, which takes place every July and August.
Doucette was a Catholic priest for 43 years and served the parishes of Beardy’s, One Arrow, Mistawasis, Muskeg Lake, Batoche, Rosthern and Duck Lake.
His health had been declining evern since he was the subject of a highly-publicized sexual abuse case in 1999, in which he was acquitted on all but one minor offence.
Doucette was 70 years old.
His funeral will be held Thursday morning at the shrine in St. Laurent.