Early priest worked himself to death
In Oblate Priests and Lay Brothers, the author identified and wrote about the Oblate priests and lay brothers who served at the Mission of the Immaculate Conception, popularly known as the Father Pandosy Mission. Between its founding in 1860 and the sale of the Mission site by the Roman Catholic Church in 1896, no less than 14 Oblate priests and three Oblate lay brothers served at the Mission, tending to the perceived needs of the local community.
Oblate Priests and Lay Brothers at the Mission of the Immaculate Conception appears on pages 100-114 of the 75th Report of the Okanagan Historical Society.
One of the priests featured in the article was Father Florimond Gendre, who served at the Mission of the Immaculate Conception from 1866 to 1873.
Father Florimond Antoine Gendre, O.M.I. (Order of Mary the Immaculate) was born at Saint-Jean (Hautes-Alpes) France, on Dec. 8, 1834 (although some records indicate his date of birth as Dec. 7, 1834), son of Jean Gendre and Catherine Faure.
He took his perpetual vows in 1861, and was ordained the next year. In 1863, he was working at a boarding school at St. Mary’s (now Mission, B.C.). Father Gendre was the first Superior at St. Mary’s.
From 1862 to 1866, Father Gendre worked in the mission of Sainte-Marie (St. Mary), about 50 kilometres from New Westminster and founded an agricultural and industrial school. He was director, treasurer, teacher of English, writing, arithmetic, geography, master of agriculture and supervisor.
In 1866, because he was suffering from exhaustion, he was sent to Immaculate Conception Mission (Okanagan) and there he remained until his death. He founded a school there, but it lasted only a few years. For a time each year, he visited eight mission centres including Kamloops. He was ill during the summer of 1871-72, but succeeded nevertheless in visiting Kamloops in the summer of 1872 and again in November.
It was there that he became seriously ill. Father Julian Michel Baudre brought him back to Kamloops where he died on Jan. 29, 1873.
Father Gendre’s name appears on several marriages and baptisms registered at the Immaculate Conception Mission from 1867-70. His handwriting was of high quality and easy to read, a contrast to some of the early local Oblate records.
By 1872, Father Gendre’s health obviously had taken a bad turn. In a letter dated Sept. 26, 1872, Father Charles J. Grandidier, O.M.I. wrote a letter to Bishop d’Herbomez, expressing his concern about his colleague’s poor health. This was only a few months before Gendre’s death.
In Oblate Communications, it reports that, “With an ardent impressionable imagination, he (Father Gendre) was always to be totally devoted. His capabilities are quite ordinary and there is a lack of culture in his studies. His health is robust, he is of large build and without special talent.” His “robust” health and “large build” apparently did not counteract the deprivations and rigourous demands of a rough and challenging frontier life, as shown by Gendre’s death at only 38 years of age.
Oblate Communications also provides a snapshot about Gendre’s character:
“In 1873, the writer of the report on the vicariate of British Columbia had this to say: ‘What am I to say about Father Gendre, this model of the perfect missionary and perfect religious? In spite of his vigorous constitution, he exhausted himself by excessive work. He died the victim of his dedication.’”
According to Gendre’s British Columbia Death Registration, he died in “Vernon District” on Jan. 30, 1873. He was 38 years old and his death was attributed to bronchitis, from which he had suffered for three years. He was buried at the Mission of the Immaculate Conception, but his grave has not been located.
A bronze plaque on the Immaculate Conception Cemetery site commemorates the burials in that historic cemetery, including Father Charles Marie Pandosy and Father Gendre, numerous native people, and pioneer families. This plaque was dedicated by members of the pioneer Rampone family, on whose land this cemetery is located.
Father Pandosy, who died at Penticton on Feb. 6, 1891, was one of the last burials (Feb. 9, 1891) in the Immaculate Conception Cemetery. There is no marker on Father Pandosy’s grave, nor are there markers on any of the graves, including Father Gendre’s.
The original Mission of the Immaculate Conception Cemetery was closed to burials in the early 1890s. Subsequent Roman Catholic burials were in the second local Roman Catholic Cemetery, on Casorso Road.
The book Mission of the Immaculate Conception Cemetery and Early Settlement in the Central Okanagan, was published locally in 2016. It provides information about the original Immaculate Conception burial ground and some of the people buried there. This book is available through the author of this article.
Robert Michael Hayes is a life-long resident of Kelowna and is a descendant of the pioneer Clement and Whelan families. He is a life member of the Okanagan Historical Society. This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society. Additional information would be welcome at P.O. Box 22105, Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9.