1921 – 2013

LEWISTON — Brother Edmond Raymond Drouin died Saturday, Dec. 14, at the age of 92, at St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston.

He was born in Biddeford on Nov. 28, 1921, the son of Hermenegilde and Fedora (Gagne) Drouin. This past summer, Brother Edmond celebrated his 75th anniversary as a Brother of Christian Instruction. His religious formation began in 1935, during his high school years at Notre Dame in Alfred. He spent his novitiate year (1938-39) in La Prairie, Quebec. He professed his lifelong commitment as a religious brother on June 26, 1944.

Though he began his professional teaching career in elementary schools, first in Quebec Province, Canada, and in Waterville, and later as a high school science teacher in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Fall River, Mass., most of his life was dedicated to professional research and writing, work he enjoyed and at which he excelled.

The 1956 graduate of LaMennais College in Alfred pursued advanced studies, earning his master’s degree in library science from Catholic University in 1959 and a doctorate in education, also from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in 1980. His master’s dissertation, a careful and comprehensive piece of research, was published under the title “The School Question, A Bibliography on Church-State Relationships in American Education.”

As head of the LaMennais College Library in Alfred, Brother Drouin directed the transfer to its new location on the Walsh College campus in Canton, Ohio, in 1960, the year of its foundation. In recognition of his professional work and outstanding commitment over 11 years, the Walsh University Library was dedicated to him on Nov. 23, 2003.

In 1971, he was released to pursue his writing and research full time. During the early period of his research, his work was mainly focused on educational questions, particularly church-state issues, a topic on which he composed in continuing commitment articles for several religious and professional magazines. He was invited to contribute six articles on church history for the “New Catholic Encyclopedia.”

His last 30 active years were spent researching in preparation for writing a professional biography of the Rev. John Mary de La Mennais, founder of the Brothers of Christian Instruction. No archive was too small, no distance was too great, no information too insignificant for him to seek out. Fluent in French and in English, Brother Edmond traveled throughout Europe and North America verifying information, discovering new insights and confirming controversial information. With the assistance of Brother Francis Blouin, the highly appreciated work was completed and printed in 2012 as “The Courage of Hope, John de La Mennais, 1780-1860.”

His rich knowledge of the history of the Brothers’ congregation made him a valuable resource as a lecturer at several religious renewal sessions, retreats and congregational gatherings. His interest and personal study in scripture and spirituality occasioned some interesting published articles and specialized conferences for laity and religious alike.

Brother Edmond is survived by his two sisters, Therese Valliere of Lewiston and Pauline Janson of Scarborough; and many nephews and nieces.

He was predeceased by his father, Hermenegilde in 1984; his mother, Fedora in 1992; and his brother, Charles in 2004.

He will be greatly missed by the members of his international religious family, the Brothers of Christian Instruction.

To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit www.blackfuneralhomes.com.