Reverend Maurice R. Lagueux, 73, of Manchester, died August 8, 2008 at the Elliot Hospital after a period of declining health.
Father Lagueux was born on October 19, 1934 in Manchester and was the son of Ernest and Adelia (Turcotte) Lagueux. He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1961 by the Most Reverend Ernest J. Primeau, sixth Bishop of Manchester, at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Manchester. Father Lagueux studied at Saint Anselm College in Manchester and then completed his ecclesiastical studies at Saint Paul Seminary in Ottawa, Canada.
Father Lagueux was assigned as associate pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Groveton in June 1961 and then as associate pastor of Guardian Angel Parish in Berlin in September 1961. In September 1964, Father Lagueux was assigned as associate pastor of Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Hudson and then in March 1969 as associate pastor of Saint Aloysius of Gonzaga Parish in Nashua.
In January 1974, Bishop Odore J. Gendron appointed Father Lagueux as pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Suncook. In October 1979, Father Lagueux was assigned as pastor of Saint George Parish in Manchester. In 1985, Bishop Gendron assigned Father Lagueux as pastor of Saint Martin Parish in Somersworth where he served until May 1996. Thereafter, Father Lagueux served faithfully as chaplain of Mount Carmel Rehabilitation and Nursing Center until the time of his death.
In addition to his faithful ministry as parish priest and chaplain, Father Lagueux also served as a chaplain to the Algonquin (Nashua) District and the Massabesic (Manchester) District of the Boy Scouts of America, as Youth Director of the Hillsborough Deanery, and as state chaplain of the Catholic War Veterans.
Family members include a niece, Patricia Phillips of Maryland, and two nephews, Dennis P. Lagueux of Manchester, and Michael T. Lagueux of Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Most Reverend John B. McCormack, Bishop of Manchester, presided at a Mass of Christian Burial at Sainte Marie Church, 378 Notre Dame Avenue in Manchester on Monday, August 11, 2008. The Rite of Committal was celebrated following the Mass at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 474 Goffstown Road, Manchester. The Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm Street in Manchester had care of the arrangements.