EMMANUEL HOUSE: KWA HERI PADRI RICHARD BRUNELLE, AA

Fr. Richard BRUNELLE, Assumptionist, was born in the state of Maine, northeast United States and completed his primary education in bilingual (English-French) parochial schools, did secondary education at Assumption Prep School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and got degrees in philosophy and theology at Saint Thomas University in Rome. He was ordained in 1963 and did pastoral work at the Assumptionist’s Sacred Heart Shrine in Sherbrooke, Quebec and then taught mathematics and computer science for 18 years at Assumption College, the Assumptionist university in Worcester, Massachussetts. In 1988, he came to Nairobi, Kenya as part of a team to found a new mission in East Africa. [Unfortunately he will not be present when we celebrate solemnly the silver jubilee of the Mission at the end of this year]. In Kenya and Tanzania, he was in charge of formation and also taught in various seminaries and the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was the First Regional Superior of the new created region of East Africa before he was called to be novice master in the Philipines. Fr. Richard arrived in Manila on July 18, 2008 to take up his new responsibility as Novice Master for the Philippine Assumptionists. In July 2012, he ended his missionnary work in the Philipine because of physical weakness. On his way to the US, he visited kenya and Tanzania to say by to the people, friends he served for 20 years.

He was still strong when he passed on. We are told that on Wednesday, 21th february 2013, he was going for a 5pm mass a bit earlier around 4.30pm. When he wanted to open the door of the Chapel, he couldn't because of some pain. People came to his help, rushing him to the hospital, the doctor realised that he had a brain bleeding and that it was serious. He passed on around 9pm.

May his soul rest in peace and may God bless and make fruitful what he has planted on missionary lands.