Pete, Ronald Thomas

• Rev. Ronald Thomas Pete, SFM

Ronald Thomas Pete was born on September 5, 1933 in East Chester, Nova Scotia, the son of the late Thomas and Linda Pete. He studied at St. Patrick’s High School in Halifax before entering St. Francis Xavier seminary in 1954. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Berry in Halifax on August 21, 1960.

Ron’s first mission was to British Guiana [now, Guyana] where he arrived on October 11, 1961. He was assigned to Our Lady of Fatima Parish. He later became pastor of Port Mourant where he served from 1965 to 1970. In 1970 -1971 Ron studied at the Divine Word Centre in London, Ontario returning to Guyana as associate pastor in New Amsterdam. He was there for a year and then was assigned to work on a catechetics program serving the communities on the Corentyne River. In 1975 Ron made the Maryknoll Institute in New York and took a course in photography at Seneca College. In April of 1977 he was assigned to work with Sr. Doris McMullen in the AV department at Scarboro where he continued until 1980.

In 1980 he took a full year pastoral education program at Toronto Western Hospital and in 1981 he spent three months doing a chaplain internship program at Kingston Penitentiary. After completion of the courses he was assigned to do road work for the Mission Information Department at Scarboro. He also participated in a renewal program at Maryknoll in 1983. In September of 1984 Ron was assigned to work with the Korean Community in Toronto. He began to study Korean on his own but was later given permission to go to Korea to study for one year. He returned to Canada and continued to work with the Korean Community. With the exception of a short period of time working as a chaplain in a high school he continued to work with the Korean Community and was officially appointed by the Archdiocese of Toronto as associate pastor at St. Andrew Kim Parish where he worked until 1998.

Prior to a one year sabbatical at Ecce Homo in Jerusalem, Ron helped out in Grand Falls Diocese in the parishes of King’s Cove, Plate Cove and Summerville. He was there until June of 1998 and began his studies in Jerusalem in the fall of 1998. Upon his return to Canada Fr. Pete made application to work in the Archdiocese of Halifax. He was appointed pastor of East Chezetcook by Archbishop Prendergast for four years. His most recent appointment was as chaplain to the seamen of the Port of Halifax.

He died of cancer at Victoria General Hospital on March 22, 2005. The wake was held on March 28 at at St. Genevieve’s Parish in East Chezetcook and presided by Archbishop Prendergast. Funeral mass was celebrated at St. Mary's Basilica in Halifax on March 29, presided by Archbishop Prendergast, the former Archbishops, James Hayes and Austen Burke, and SFM priest Jack Lynch. He is buried in the priests' plot at Gate of Heaven Cemetery along with Fr. Mike Dwyer, SFM.

Created by F Rousselle 23 April 2025.
Revised by F Rousselle June 27, 2025.

Biographical sketch adapted from the Society's "Book of Life".