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SSE Manuscripts. Rev. Maurice Ouellet, SSE Papers

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Title: SSE Manuscripts. Rev. Maurice Ouellet, SSE Papers, 1926-2010

ID: SSE 15/SSE 15.3/SSE 15.3

Primary Creator: Ouellet, Maurice (1926-2011)

Extent: 0.25 Linear Feet

Arrangement: Alphabetical

Subjects: Civil rights--Alabama--Selma--1960-1970., Civil rights movements--Alabama--Selma--History--20th century., Ouellet, Maurice, St. Elizabeth’s Chapel (Selma, Ala.)

Forms of Material: Sermons

Items kept in the personal files of Rev. Maurice Ouellet, mostly related to his work as a pastor in Selma, Al. during the early 1960s.  Items include transcripts of talks/sermons, poetry, clippings related to the his work in the Civil Rghts movement, some collected materials, and a few items of unrelated correspondence.  Also included is an FBI file related to an investigation into threats to Ouellet because of his activism.

Rev. Maurice Ouellet, SSE was born in Saint Albans, VT on Sept. 10, 1926. He joined the Society of Saint Edmund in 1946.  After graduating from Saint Michael's College in 1948 he was ordained to the priesthood in 1952.  Soon after he became an associate pastor in Saint Elizabeth's Parish, ministering to the African American population of Selma, AL...  He later worked in Edmundite parishes in Mon Luis, Fowl River, and Dauphin Island along the Gulf Coast of Alabama.  In 1957 he returned to the northeast, working at Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk, NY and later at the Society of Saint Edmund Generalate on the campus of Saint Michael's College.  By 1961 he was back in Selma; this time as pastor at Saint Elizabeth's.  His return to Alabama coincided with a growth in the Civil Rights movement across the South, and he soon observed the growing involvement of many of his parishioners.  He allowed them to use the parish hall for meetings and did not shy away from directly confronting the issue in pulpit.  He soon became one of very few whites in Selma directly working with the African-American community to confront the injustices.  He visited those in jail, paid court and legal fees, and eventually even spoke out publicly, writing letters to the newspapers and speaking at meetings.  This not only infuriated many whites within Selma, but also invoked the ire of his bishop, who banned all priests and religious in his diocese from becoming involved in the movement in any way.  Ouellet did not stop his work and was removed from Selma soon after the 1965 March to Montgomery.  He worked as Society of Saint Edmund Novice Director, as a counselor at Saint Michael's College and later as pastor in a few parishes.  He continued to speak about both racial and economic inequality in the years following, although he never returned to serve in an Alabama parish.  In 2004 he returned to Selma where he died in 2011.

Repository: Saint Michael's College Archives & Special Collections

Related Materials:

Superior General Rev. Jeremiah Purtill, 1958-1964

Superior General Rev. Eymard Galligan, 1964-1970

Local Administration. <span class="highlight0 bold" style="font-weight: 700; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">South</span>, 1936-2003

Southern Missions, 1937-2009

Preferred Citation: Rev. Maurice Ouellet, SSE Papers, Society of Saint Edmund Manuscripts, Society of Saint Edmund Archives, Saint Michael's College Colchester, VT, 05465.