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[[File:The%20Rev.%20Joseph%20M.%20Blais.jpg|right|]][[File:The%20Rev.%20Joseph%20M.%20Blais.jpg|right|thumb||Rev. Joseph M. Blais<br>''|Adirondack Daily Enterprise, ''|May 3, '''|1948''']]'''Born''': <span>May 31, <span>1884

<span style="">'''Died''': May 2, 1948

The Reverend '''Joseph Blais''' <span>served as chaplain of <span>[[St.%20Mary's%20hospital|St. Mary's hospital]] in Saranac <span>Lake and the [[New%20York%20State%20Hospital%20at%20Ray%20Brook|New York State]][[New%20York%20State%20Hospital%20at%20Ray%20Brook| ]]<span>[[New%20York%20State%20Hospital%20at%20Ray%20Brook|Hospital at Ray Brook]] since 1929.  He <span>served <span>during World War I as chaplain <span>of the Fourth Infantry, Third Division.
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''Adirondack Daily Enterprise, ''May 3, 1948

'''<span>Rev. Joseph Blais, Hospital Chaplain, <span>Dies Last Evening'''

<span>OGDENSBURG, May 3 (AP)— <span>The Rev. Joseph M. Blais, 64, a <span>twice wounded veteran of World <span>War I, died last night. He was <span>chaplain of St. Mary’s hospital at <span>Saranac Lake and Ray Brook <span>sanitorium near Saranac Lake.

<span>Father Blais served for many <span>years in San Antonio, Tex., diocese before assignment to the <span>Ogdensburg diocese in 1915.

<span>The Rev. Joseph M. Blais, 64, <span>of <span>12 <span>Broadway, chaplain of St. <span>Mary’s hospital on Ampersand <span>avenue and the New York State <span>Hospital at Ray Brook, died at <span>6:10 o’clock last evening at the <span>Hepburn hospital in Ogdensburg <span>following a long illness.

<span>Throughout his lifetime in <span>Saranac Lake Father Blais was <span>tireless in his efforts to aid anyone in distress and his interests <span>extended into the activities of <span>civic and veterans groups and <span>the fraternal circles of the community.

<span>Father Blais was ordained in <span>the priesthood on July 26, 1908 at <span>Tewksbury, Mass. He served as <span>curate and pastor in various <span>churches in Massachusetts and <span>later in San Antonio, Texas.

<span>He served parishes at Evans <span>Mill and Chasm Falls and when <span>World War I broke out was the <span>first of a band of seven volunteer <span>chaplains who joined up for service with the American Army. <span>In 1917 he was sent to France as <span>chaplain in the Fourth Infantry, <span>Third Division of the Army.

<span>He was in the heat of action i<span>n the Meuse and Argonne sections and later managed a club <span>at St. Nazarre where as a staff <span>member he served the welfare <span>of 15,000 American troops. He <span>was twice cited for bravery.

<span>Father Blais was a fighting <span>chaplain and was under fire in <span>the strenuous struggles at Marne, St. Mihiel and the bloody battle of the Argonne. During the <span>severest days of service he was <span>always with his men and slept <span>in trenches and shell holes while <span>he ministered to the wounded, <span>gassed and other casualties.

<span>After release from the service. <span>Father Blaise returned to his <span>church work at Bedford and in <span>1929 soon after the death of the <span>Rev. Father Brice, who was then <span>chaplain at St. Mary’s hospital, <span>Father Blais was sent to Saranac <span>Lake where he remained until <span>the illness which brought his <span>death.

<span>Highly popular with patients <span>and permanent residents of this <span>area Father Blais’ interests <span>brou<span>ght him into many of the activities of the community. He had <span>served as chaplain of the Mose Minney-George Lyeth post, the <span>Veterans of Foreign Wars, the <span>Saranac Lake Elks lodge and the <span>Kiwanis club. 

<span>He was connected with the Disabled War Veterans post and <span>philanthropic societies of the village. Last July he celebrated his 40th anniversary in the <span>priesthood.

<span>Funeral arrangements were incomplete this morning.

<span>Father Blais was born May 31, <span>1884 in Warren, Mass., the son <span>of the late Peter and Rose Lesperance Blais. He studied at the <span>Holy Angels college in Buffalo, <span>the University of Ottawa and <span>was ordained July 24, 1908, at <span>Tewksbury.

<span>He became a member of the <span>Oblate Fathers order and became <span>assistant pastor at Notre Dame <span>church in Ogdensburg in 1915 <span>when he was sent to that diocese.

<span>Surviving him are a brother, <span>George of Needham, Mass., and <span>one sister, Mrs. Mary Fremault <span>of Newton, Mass. According to <span>Father Blais wishes interment <span>will be in St. Peter's cemetery in <span>Plattsburg.

 
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''Adirondack Daily Enterprise, ''May 7, 1948

 

'''<span>Hundreds Crowd <span>Church for Mass <span>For Father'''

<span>Hundreds of residents, Diocese <span>associates and friends filled [[St.%20Bernard's%20church|St.]][[St.%20Bernard's%20church| ]]<span>[[St.%20Bernard's%20church|Bernard's church]] this morning as <span>the solemn rites of a Pontifical <span>Mass of Requiem were celebrated <span>at 10:30 o’clock for the Rev. Joseph M. Blais, peace and wartime chaplain who died last Sunday.

<span>The Most Rev. Bryan J. McEntegart, bishop of the Ogdens<span>burg diocese, celebrated the Mass. <span>The Rev. Joseph P. Heslin, pastor of the Church of Saints Peter <span>and Paul of Mineville, preached <span>the sermon.

<span>Tribute was paid to the priest <span>who so courageously had served <span>during World War I as chaplain <span>of the Fourth Infantry, Third Division, and who in peace time had <span>served the church and the people <span>for more than 40 years.

<span>Assisting Bishop McEntegart <span>were the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Louis D . <span>Berube, archpriest; the Rev. Edgar A. Gallagher and the Rev. <span>Eugene Figueroa, deacons or honor; the Rev. Bartholomew A. O’Connell, deacon of the Mass; the <span>Rev. Patrick O. Thompson, subdeacon of the Mass.

<span>The Rev. Henry W<span>. McFadden, <span>thurifer; the Rev. Wilfred A. <span>Nugent and the Rev. E. Leonard <span>Murphy, acolytes; the Rev. Harold P. McCabe, book bearer; the <span>Rev. John F. Wiley, bugia bearer; the Rev. Gerald Sharland, <span>gremial bearer.

<span>The Rev. Gerald Sequin, crozier b<span>earer; the Rev. Russell C. O’Neill, mitre bearer; the Rev. John <span>F. McNamara, holy water bearer; <span>and the Rev. F. Gordon Coseo <span>and the Rev. John L. Hammill, <span>masters of ceremonies.

<span>Members of the Fourth Degree <span>Knights of Columbus acted as <span>guard of honor during the Mass <span>and members of the Third Degree maintained an all-night <span>guard last night until the service <span>this morning, <span>Following the Mass the body <span>of the priest was taken to Plattsburg where interment was held <span>in St. Peter’s cemetery. Father <span>Blais had served as chaplain of <span>[[St.%20Mary's%20hospital|St. Mary's hospital]] in Saranac <span>Lake and the [[New%20York%20State%20Hospital%20at%20Ray%20Brook|New York State]][[New%20York%20State%20Hospital%20at%20Ray%20Brook| ]]<span>[[New%20York%20State%20Hospital%20at%20Ray%20Brook|Hospital at Ray Brook]] since 1929.