Jesuit 1945 - 2023

Paul A. Desmarais of the Society of Jesus died on Wednesday August 16, 2023, at René Goupil House in Pickering, ON.

Paul, the son of Edward Desmarais and Harriet Desmarais, was born in Windsor, Ontario.

He was 78 years old and in his 60th year as a Jesuit. Most of his Jesuit life was spent in Zambia, where Canadian Jesuits were stationed.

Paul came from a farming family and studied agriculture at the University of Guelph and for the next half century, he applied his energy and knowledge of agriculture for the benefit of the Zambian community.

A principal innovation was to switch from chemical-oriented farming to 100% organic farming. In 2014, the centre he helped to found, the Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre (KATC), was chosen by the United Nations Development Program as one of twenty-five outstanding sustainable development initiatives around the globe.

Paul ended his 40-year tenure as KATC director in 2020 and began working as director of its new diploma program on organic agriculture. Discovery of a brain tumour in 2022 brought him back to Canada for his final year of life. He is survived by his brother Charles and sisters Therese & Annette.

Visitation at St. Ignatius Chapel, Manresa: Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre, 2325 Liverpool Road, Pickering, on Monday, August 28th from 7-9 p.m. with prayer service at 8 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St Ignatius Chapel (Manresa) Pickering, on Tuesday, August 29th, 2023 at 10.30 a.m., followed by burial at the Jesuit Cemetery in Guelph at 2:30 p.m.

Donations to Canadian Jesuits International, 70 Saint Mary St., Toronto, ON M5S 1J3, Canada Tel: 416.465.1824, would be appreciated as your expression of sympathy.