Raymond William Lessard

December 21, 1930 (age 85)

Grafton, North Dakota , United States

He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia from 1973 to 1995. Early life, education, and priesthood An early ancestor, who had emigrated to Canada from Normandy, donated a piece of land for the construction of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Lessard was raised on a farm and educated at Saint Aloysius Academy. Lessard later worked at the Vatican both during and after the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) as an official of the Consistorial Congregation. Bishop of Savannah On March 5, 1973, Lessard was appointed the twelfth Bishop of Savannah by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 27 from Archbishop Thomas Donnellan, with Bishops Justin Driscoll and Francis Gossman serving as co-consecrators. As a bishop of the Southern United States, he has described racism as "the paramount social problem affecting our area". Resignation and academic career Lessard, due to his chronic back problems, resigned as Bishop on February 7, 1995, after twenty-one years of service. He then became a professor at Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, where he taught ecclesiology. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lessard has chaired the Committee for Pastoral Research and Practices. Death Lessard died at his home, on January 3, 2016, at Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, in Boynton Beach, Florida. In October, 2009, the diocese of Savannah paid $4.24 million to settle a lawsuit which alleged that Lessard allowed a priest named Wayland Brown to work in the diocese when Lessard knew that Brown was a serial child molester who posed a danger to children.

Raymond William Lessard

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bishop Catholic priest

Background

Raymond Lessard was born in Grafton, North Dakota, to a largely French-Canadian family.

Education

University of Saint Thomas.

Career

He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia from 1973 to 1995. Early life, education, and priesthood

An early ancestor, who had emigrated to Canada from Normandy, donated a piece of land for the construction of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Lessard was raised on a farm and educated at Saint Aloysius Academy.

Lessard later worked at the Vatican both during and after the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) as an official of the Consistorial Congregation.

Bishop of Savannah

On March 5, 1973, Lessard was appointed the twelfth Bishop of Savannah by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 27 from Archbishop Thomas Donnellan, with Bishops Justin Driscoll and Francis Gossman serving as co-consecrators. As a bishop of the Southern United States, he has described racism as "the paramount social problem affecting our area".

Resignation and academic career

Lessard, due to his chronic back problems, resigned as Bishop on February 7, 1995, after twenty-one years of service. He then became a professor at Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, where he taught ecclesiology.

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lessard has chaired the Committee for Pastoral Research and Practices.

Death

Lessard died at his home, on January 3, 2016, at Saint Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, in Boynton Beach, Florida. In October, 2009, the diocese of Savannah paid $4.24 million to settle a lawsuit which alleged that Lessard allowed a priest named Wayland Brown to work in the diocese when Lessard knew that Brown was a serial child molester who posed a danger to children.

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Raymond William Lessard

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