Quick Facts
Biography
Donald E. Pelotte SSS (April 13, 1945 – January 7, 2010) was the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico. He was the first person of Native American descent to become a Catholic bishop in the United States; Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., is the only active American diocesan bishop of Native American descent. He is also the only known Roman Catholic bishop to have ordained his own twin brother. Bishop Pelotte ordianed Father Dana F. Pelotte, SSS, to the priesthood, on September 4, 1999 in their childhood parish of Waterville, Maine.
Education
Pelotte was born on April 13, 1945, in Waterville, Maine, to Norris Albert Pelotte and Margaret Yvonne LaBrie Pelotte. His father was a member of the Abenaki First Nations tribe and his mother was of French-Canadian (Québécois) descent. Donald and his twin brother Dana were the youngest of five brothers. He studied at Eymard Seminary in Hyde Park, New York during his high school years. He did his college studies John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and later completed doctoral studies at Fordham University. His doctoral dissertation was entitled: John Courtney Murray, Theologian in Conflict: Roman Catholicism and the American Experience. This was later published in book form by Paulist Press.
At age 33, he became the Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and was the youngest major superior of a religious community of men in the United States at the time. On February 24, 1986, he was named Coadjutor Bishop of Gallup and was consecrated on May 6, 1986. Upon the retirement of Jerome J. Hastrich, then Bishop of Gallup on March 31, 1990, Pelotte became the Third Bishop of Gallup. From 1986 to 2008, Pelotte also served as the Episcopal moderator of the Tekakwitha Conference, an association of Native American and First Nation Catholics.
Later life
Bishop Pelotte was seriously injured in his Gallup home on July 23, 2007. His injuries included a traumatic brain injury. According to chancery officials and a police report, Pelotte insisted his injuries resulted from a fall down his home staircase; however, his aide speculated that he "looked like he'd been beat up" and that his injuries were more consistent with a brutal assault rather than with a fall down a carpeted stairwell.
On January 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, as apostolic administrator sede plena of the diocese of Gallup, and granted Pelotte a one-year leave of absence to continue his recovery.
On April 30, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Diocese of Gallup, presented by Pelotte, SSS, in accordance with canon 401 § 2 of the Code of Canon Law. Bishop Olmsted continued to govern the diocese as Apostolic Administrator until James S. Wall was appointed bishop of Gallup and took canonical possession of the Diocese on 23 April 2009.
On Monday, July 8, 2008, KRQE News 13 in Albuquerque and the Gallup Independent newspaper released the results of their investigation of the Pelotte case. Pictures that had not been previously released to the public suggested that the bishop suffered severe blows to the head and back. The station speculated that the injuries did not indicate a fall, but rather a possible beating. The police investigation was closed, though, having never been recalled.
Pelotte was hospitalized in critical condition, with his relatives at his side, on December 30, 2009. He died on January 7, 2010. The Funeral Mass for Bishop Pelotte was held on Thursday, January 14, 2010, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup. Per his wishes, he was buried in the crypt of the Cathedral.
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| Preceded by Jerome J. Hastrich | Bishop of Gallup 31 March 1990 – 30 April 2008 | Succeeded by James S. Wall |