Rev. Joseph N. O. Dupuis, D. D., D. C. L

In the life of the Catholic church of Canada Rev. Joseph Nazaire Odilon Dupuis occupies a foremost position as inspector and visitor of a number of parish schools which are attended by over thirty thousand children. He was chosen to this important office in 1913 by twenty-seven school commissions in Montreal which are formed into an association, and has done fruitful work in promoting education in the city.

Rev. Dupuis was born at Montreal on the 16th of December, 1871, and is a son of Nazaire Dupuis, founder of the commercial house of Dupuis Frères, and of Alphonsine (St. Onge) Dupuis. He pursued his classical studies at the College of Montreal and in June, 1890, entered ecclesiastical orders. He was ordained priest by Monseigneur Fabre on August 30, 1896. From 1896 to 1899 he studied at the Canadian College of Rome, Italy, returning from there with the degree of Doctor of Theology, bestowed by the propaganda in 1898, and the degree of Doctor of Canon Law, bestowed in 1899 by Apollinaire College. From 1899 to 1900 he studied at the Catholic Institute of Paris and at the Sorbonne. In the latter year he returned to Canada, becoming vicar of the Church of St. Jacques at Montreal, where he remained until 1902, when he was attached to the congregation St. Louis de France, remaining until 1904. He was appointed almoner of the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of the Sault au Récollet, where he remained for about nine years. At the same time he acted as chaplain at the Crèche of the Sisters of Miséricorde. In 1913 he was chosen by twenty-seven school commissions of Montreal, formed into an association, as a visitor and inspector of all the schools under the control of these commissions, having under his jurisdiction thirty thousand children divided over forty different parishes and eighty-two schools. Rev. Dupuis was one of the founders of Lafontaine Council of the Knights of Columbus. He is life governor of Notre Dame Hospital and is professor at Laval University and the author of several lecture papers. He has been heard as a preacher in nearly all of the churches of Montreal. Rev. Dupuis is a great lover of fine arts and literature and spent his last holidays in Italy and Spain, paying especial attention to the masterpieces of those countries.