Celebrating Fr. Donat’s 90th Birthday

Savina Villani

Staff Writer

On Friday, Oct. 14, Father Donat R. Lamothe turned 90 years old. In celebration of this significant landmark, he took some moments to cherish his long life with his friends, family, and members of the Worcester community: “they gave me the ability to reflect on my whole life and thank almighty God for it,” he said in an interview.

Fr. Donat was born in 1935 in Keene, New Hampshire. As a high schooler, he attended Assumption Prep School from 1949-1953. He proceeded directly to Assumption College for two years, when in 1955 he entered the Augustinians of the Assumption, the religious order that founded this university. He took his first vows in 1956, and continued his studies in theology in France, where he became a fully ordained priest in 1962. “I thought of the priesthood already when I was six years old,” he remarked, “it was a grace that I am still thankful for.”

Following his ordination, in 1963 he obtained his L.PH (License in Philosophy) from the University of Ottawa in Canada. Soon after, he began teaching philosophy and Bible courses at Assumption College, and continued studying music at St. John’s University and Boston University.

In 1972, he founded the Art and Music Department at Assumption, which in the history of this university, were only offered as extracurricular activities. After the founding of the department, students gained the opportunity to study these disciplines professionally and for credit.

Fr. Donat believes that the addition of this department is in keeping with the university’s founding principles. “Our founder Fr. Emanuel D’Alzon could not carry a tune in a bucket. Or so I’m told, because obviously I never heard him sing before,” he chuckled, “but [D’Alzon] insisted . . . that the students be introduced to good music. That was part of his philosophy, and it’s part of my philosophy too.”

Fr. Donat thought well about the addition of visual and musical arts to the Foundations Program as not just a possible area of study, but even a graduation requirement for all students. He expressed the need for the arts in a holistic education: “as a teacher, I didn’t think that any college student could consider himself or herself educated unless he or she had that openness to classical art, both visual and musical.” 

He believes that Assumption students should maintain openness about what their education should look like. Instead of specializing in one topic right away, he says that it is beneficial––essential, even––for undergraduate students to delve into the liberal arts before jumping into an overspecialized job.

Fr. Donat also mentioned the importance of a liberal arts education on human nature. He claimed that the liberal arts education leads to the human flourishing of anyone who embraces it fully. “That’s what a liberal arts education always was, from its very inception during the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans until now: to create a human being, a complete human being,” he asserted.

In keeping with these convictions, Fr. Donat taught music from 1973-1977, then obtained a Ph.D. in music from the University of Strasbourg in France in 1980. He returned to Assumption and taught music there from 1980-2015.

During this time period, he went on many international tours with Assumption’s chorale, which he founded with Dr. Michele Graveline in 1986. They travelled to places like Italy, Austria, Russia, Ireland, the Czech Republic, France, and other countries the student chorale. On the very first trip, the group sang for Pope John Paul II, and they had the unforgettable opportunity to meet him personally behind the scenes.

After many memorable years spent teaching, Fr. Donat resigned in 2015 to take care of his health. He now lives in the Emmanuel House with his Assumptionist brothers and continues to work and pray for the University. When it came to teaching, Fr. Donat recalled, “I considered myself successful if they began to appreciate the finer things.” He continues to hope that students will see the beauty in these finer things today.

While Fr. Donat’s legacy may not be well-known to students or even some of the faculty and staff, he left many important physical contributions to the University.  He designed the stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, he selected the notes for the bells that ring every half hour, he composed the Gregorian chant-style mass parts used in the daily Mass, and he created the icons displayed in the chapel. “I dedicated my life to Assumption,” he said, after listing all of these major projects he worked so hard on.

Upon reminiscing on his large contributions to the University, he thought about some of the mottos that resonated with him throughout his life, like the one inscribed on the facade of the organ in the chapel: “Until Christ be formed in you.”

“Christ became man,” he said, “and this means that being a human is a good thing––one that is compassionate, and especially one that is understanding.” Fr. Donat insisted most heavily that Assumption students should aim to become more Christ-like, and in doing so, become more human.

It appears that few things are more oriented towards the flourishing of human nature than the liberal arts education that Assumption offers––the same education that Fr. Donat worked so hard to develop during his lifetime. The celebration of Fr. Donat’s 90th birthday is not just about a landmark in his life. More fundamentally, this celebration is about his monumental impact on generations of students who seek fulfillment in the imitation of Christ.