Mostly forgotten, as he left this life 61 years ago, Father Clement Dupont belongs in the pantheon of remarkable clergy to serve in Oklahoma.
The youngest of five children, Father Clement was born on Aug. 6, 1875, in the village of Bizanos, France. His father was a decorated soldier in the army of Napoleon III for 25 years. His religious vocation was fostered by a devout mother, whose prayers and sacrifices he long credited as being the impetus for seeking the monastic life. In fact, he was presented to the Benedictine abbey at Belloc at the tender age of eleven.
Upon the completion of his education at the abbey (high school and college), his spirit of adventure came to the fore as he volunteered to join Father Thomas Duperou on a return trip to Indian Territory following a visit to Belloc. Dom Thomas had been the successor of Isidore Robot as superior of Sacred Heart Abbey in Konawa in 1884. Eventually he would be the first reigning abbot of Sacred Heart.
After 29 days at sea, he arrived in New Orleans on July 7, 1893, with eleven other volunteers, priests and lay brothers. After six exhausting days, the party arrived at Sacred Heart. Young Clement became a novice along with eight other men in 1894, and a long connection began with Sacred Heart (later Saint Gregory’s). His ordination took place five years later.
His intelligence and ability to master languages, especially Biblical languages, was noted from the outset. Utilizing his gifts, the taught at Sacred Heart College until 1904.
Recognizing his many talents, Father Clement was selected to be a part of the establishment of a Syrian Seminary in Jerusalem, along with other scholars from various monasteries. Scripture was his specialty and he studied under the tutelage of renowned scholar, Marie-Joseph Lagrange, whose adherence to the new historical criticism method was considered suspect during the Modernist controversy in the early 1900s.
After honing his linguistic and scripture skills, he returned in 1914 to teach at Saint Benedict’s Priory in Montebello, California. Garnering an international reputation, he was summoned to teach in Rome and Northern Italy in 1921.
His wanderings ceased with his assignment to the home abbey at Sacred Heart in 1924, transferring to Saint Gregory’s in in 1925. Settling in to the academic and monastic life, he instructed hundreds of students in Scripture, Latin, Greek, Hebrew and other subjects.
Retiring from the classroom in 1954, the 80-year-old Father Clement was in residence at Saint Patrick’s Mission in Anadarko until his death in 1954.
The local newspaper summed up his life skillfully: “Virtually unknown to the public, Father Clement’s name was familiar to experts of many nations who specialized in the study of the ancient languages in which the Scriptures and their earliest commentaries were written. Father Clement, unassuming and dedicated to the letter and the spirit of the Holy Rule of his Order, will be a legendary figure of affectionate memory as long as Saint Gregory’s stands.”