Savin, John D.

John D. Savin (1896-1949), Catholic priest and orator, was born at Bell Island, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, in 1896 and raised by his adoptive mother, a Mrs. Savin. He died at Verdun, Montreal on 19 May 1949 and was buried at Cote de Neiges Cemetery.

Savin attended St. Bonaventure's College, St. John's (1901-10). Following graduation he worked at the Reid Newfoundland Railway (RNR) Company (1910 -1912). During these years he also pursued a classical course of studies under the direction of Rev. William Kitchen, the parish priest of St. Joseph's Parish, St. John's. In 1912 Savin began his studies for the priesthood at Holy Heart Seminary, Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was a seminarian from 1912-18. Savin was ordained a priest on 18 June 1918, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John's, by Edward Patrick Roche, Archbishop of St. John's.

Rev. Savin's first appointments as curate were at St. Patrick's Parish, St. John's, and Holy Rosary Parish, Argentia, (1918-21). In 1929 Savin was transferred to Sacred Heart Parish, Oderin, Placentia Bay, where he remained for approximately one year (1929-1930). Rev. Savin was recognized as an orator. On 30 March 1930 he delivered an address to the Holy Cross Literary Association on "Some Examples of Character." In 1941 he was appointed as a curate in St. Patrick's Parish, St. John's where he resided until 1949.

Rev. Savin served in the Archdiocese until 1943, when he was advised to go to Montreal for medical care. Gaining only a partial restoration to health, he was advised by his doctors to remain in Montreal. He was assigned light duties in St. Willibrord's Parish, Verdun, Archdiocese of Montreal, where he died in 1949.

Created - May 27, 2013

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