PICKETT, MICHAEL JOSEPH (1876-1949)

PICKETT, MICHAEL JOSEPH, Catholic priest of the Basilian congregation and teacher, St Thomas College, 1911-15 and 1920-23; b. Berkeley, Ont., 11 Feb 1876, s/o John Pickett and Mary McLelland; ordained 1905; d. Toronto, 30 Jul 1949.

Michael J. Pickett entered St Basil's Novitiate in Toronto in 1900 and was later trained for the priesthood at the congregation's seminary. He was teaching at St Michael's College, Toronto, prior to coming to Chatham in 1911. From 1915 to 1919 he served overseas as a chaplain with the Canadian armed forces. In 1923, when the Basilians were replaced at St Thomas by diocesan clergy, he went to Assumption College in Windsor, Ont., and he taught there until his retirement in 1946.

Pickett was known for his "booming voice" and "somewhat rough exterior," which "marked him as a man's priest, inspiring confidence and drawing to him for counsel and encouragement students, soldiers, and parishioners."