Société des Missions Africaines –Province des Etats-Unis

né le 25 août 1919 à Lawrence dans l'archidiocèse de Boston, USA membre de la SMA le 22 septembre 1949 prêtre le 5 juin 1951 décédé le 10 janvier 1982

1951-1956 missionnaire au Liberia 1956-1960 missionnaire aux USA,  1956-1959, diocèse de Savannah 1959-1960, archidiocèse de Los Angeles 1960-1964 missionnaire au Liberia 1964-1977 missionnaire aux USA diocèse de Charleston 1977-1981 Bahamas, diocèse de Nassau 1981 Tenafly, retiré décédé à Teaneck, USA, le 10 janvier 1982, à l'âge de 62 ans

Albert Louis Turcotte was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA, in the diocese of Boston, on August 25, 1919.
He died in Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, NJ, on January 10, 1982.

Albert Turcotte was the adopted son of Leo Alfred, a chemist, and Corinne (nee Frederick) Turcotte, coming to live with them when he was two years old. His original surname was Frederick and their relationship to him before the adoption was that of uncle and aunt. The Turcotte family lived at 17 Caswell Avenue, Methuen, Massachusetts. Albert received his grade school education at St. John the Baptist’s, Methuen (1926-34), going on to Central Catholic High School, at Lawrence, for his second-level formation (1935-39). Albert did not complete high school, having to go to work in the middle of his last year to help his parents. He continued in factory employment for a number of years but the thought of priesthood grew stronger. Eventually, in 1943, he entered the Marist’s Maryvale Seminary, in Bedford, MA, to complete his high school course. Then, after a brief period in the Marist novitiate in Staten Island, he was promoted in 1944 to the Marist Scholasticate at Framingham, MA. In 1947 when, in temporary vows the Marists decided not to call him to perpetual commitment, he wrote to the Society of African Missions. He explained the reason for his departure was his insufficient grasp of ‘the Marist Spirit’, but that his Marist superiors felt while he was unsuited to life as a religious; he was well-equipped for the priestly life in a diocese or a society. With excellent recommendations from the Marists he was accepted and made his ‘spiritual year’ in the SMA seminary at Queen of Apostles, Washington DC (1947-1948). Having already studied philosophy in Framingham, he was able to progress directly to the Catholic University of America for his theological studies (1947-1951). Albert was received as a member of the Society in perpetuity on May 28, 1950. He was ordained a priest at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, by Bishop John M. McNamara, on June 5, 1951.

After ordination Albert was assigned to the Prefecture of Cape Palmas, in Liberia, arriving at his mission in February 1952. This mission had been entrusted to the care of the American Province in 1950 as its first African mission. Albert served there until 1956, when he was appointed to Our Lady of Lourdes parish, in Atlanta, one of the early Society’s foundations in America (1912). He assisted there for two years and then was posted to St. Anthony’s parish, Savannah as pastor. This was the second of the Society’s foundations, opened in 1909 and, like Our Lady of Lourdes, had a large high school in which Albert taught. A year later he went to St. Odilia’s parish in Los Angeles, a mission dating from 1926. Albert returned to Cape Palmas in 1960, serving there for a further five years, both in the pastoral ministry and a teaching apostolate. A good student of French and History Albert had a particular aptitude for the classroom. During this time, on May 7, 1962, the Prefecture was raised in status becoming a full Vicariate under the leadership of Nicholas Grimley of the American Province. During his home leave in 1964 Albert was appointed to the promotion team in the Society’s house at Dedham. However within a matter of months he was re-assigned to St. Cyprian’s parish, in the diocese of Charleston, SC. In 1977 he went to St. John’s Church, Fresh Creek, and Andros – the SMA parish in the Bahamas - remaining there until the spring of 1981 when he retired to Tenafly.

Predeceasing his mother, Mrs. Corinne Turcotte, he died after a long struggle with cancer.

He is buried in the SMA Community Plot, Mount Carmel Cemetery, Tenafly, NJ, USA.