Jean-Baptiste Brondel

Belgian-born prelate

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Jean-Baptiste Brondel

Bishop of Helena
Church| Roman Catholic Church
See| Diocese of Helena
Successor| John Patrick Carroll
Orders
Ordination| 17 December 1864
by Engelbert Sterckx
Consecration| 14 December 1879
by Charles J. Seghers
Personal details
Born| (1842-02-23)23 February 1842

Bruges, Belgium

Died| 3 November 1903(1903-11-03) (aged 61)
Helena, Montana
Education| American College of Louvain
College of St. Louis

Jean-Baptiste Brondel (23 February 1842 – 3 November 1903) was a Belgian-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Vancouver Island in British Columbia and Alaska (1879–1883) and as vicar apostolic and bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana (1884–1903).

## Biography

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### Early life

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Jean-Baptiste Brondel was born in Bruges to Charles Joseph and Isabella (née Becquet) Brondel.[1] One of seven children, he was the youngest of his parents' five sons; his eldest brother and one of his sisters also pursued religious careers.[2] He received his early education from the Xaverian Brothers in his native city.[3] In 1852, Brondel entered the College of St. Louis in Bruges, where he studied for ten years.[4] Inspired by the works of Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, he decided to become a missionary in North America.[2] He then studied philosophy and theology at the American College of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium.[5]

### Priesthood

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Brondel was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Engelbert Sterckx on 17 December 1864.[6] At age 24, he was below the age requirement for ordination but was granted a dispensation by Pope Pius IX.[2] He continued his studies at the American College for two more years

Brondel arrived at Vancouver, British Columbia in 1866.[4] He taught at Holy Angels College in Vancouver for one year, then moved to the Washington Territory in the United States. He served as rector of the church at Steilacoom with its attendant missions for ten years.[1] During his tenure there, he also built churches in Tacoma and Olympia, both in Washington.[4] Brondel was transferred to Walla Walla in 1877, but returned to Steilacoom the following year.[5]

### Bishop of Vancouver Island

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On 26 September 1879, Brondel was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Vancouver Island by Pope Leo XIII.[6] He received his episcopal consecration on 14 December 1879 from Archbishop Charles J. Seghers.[6] The diocese included Vancouver Island, a British territory, as well as Alaska, an American territory.[2]

### Vicar apostolic of Montana

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On 7 April 1883, Leo XIII named Brondel as vicar apostolic of Montana.[6]

### Bishop of Helena

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The vicariate was elevated to the Diocese of Helena on 7 March 1884 by Leo XIII, with Brondel becoming its first bishop.[6]

During his tenure, Brondel traveled throughout the state, establishing several new parishes and building churches.[7] He also significantly increased the number of priests; by 1903, the number of seminarians in Montana increased from one to thirteen.[7] He took a particular interest in the evangelization of Native Americans, and the United States government often used his popularity among that community to further its aims in the community.[5]

Jean-Baptiste Brondel died at Helena at age 61, and was buried in a vault under the cathedral of that city.[1]

## References

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1. ^ a b c The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. Vol. XIII. New York: James T. White & Company. 1906.
2. ^ a b c d Schoenberg, Wilfred P. (1987). A History of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest, 1743–1983.
3. ^ O'Donnell, John Hugh (1922). The Catholic Hierarchy of the United States, 1790–1922. Washington, D.C.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
4. ^ a b c Shea, John Gilmary (1886). The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church in the United States. New York: Catholic Publications.
5. ^ a b c "John Baptist Brondel". Catholic Encyclopedia.
6. ^ a b c d e Cheney, David M. "Bishop Jean-Baptiste Brondel". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
7. ^ a b "Bishop John Baptist Brondel". Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.

## External links

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Wikiquote has quotations related to Jean-Baptiste Brondel.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean-Baptiste Brondel.

* Jean-Baptiste Brondel at Find a Grave (years shown on the marker are as Bishop of Helena)

Catholic Church titles

Preceded by

none (diocese erected)

|  Bishop of Helena
1884–1903  | Succeeded by

John Patrick Carroll

Preceded by

|  Vicar Apostolic of Montana
1883–1884  | Succeeded by

none

Preceded by

Charles-Jean Seghers

|  Bishop of Vancouver Island
1879–1883  | Succeeded by

Charles-Jean Seghers

* v
* t
* e

Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena

Bishops|

Ordinaries
Jean-Baptiste Brondel
John Patrick Carroll
George Joseph Finnigan
Ralph Leo Hayes
Joseph Michael Gilmore
Raymond Hunthausen
Elden Francis Curtiss
Alexander Joseph Brunett
Robert C. Morlino
George Leo Thomas
Austin Anthony Vetter

Churches|

Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint Helena

Parishes
St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Laurin
St. Francis Xavier Church, Missoula
St. Ignatius Church, St. Ignatius
St. Mary's Mission Church, Stevensville

Former
St. Joseph's Church, Moiese
St. Joseph's Mission Church, Townsend

Education|

Higher education
Carroll College

High schools
Butte Central Catholic High School, Butte
Loyola Sacred Heart High School, Missoula

Miscellany|

Holy Rosary Church Rectory, Bozeman

* Catholicism portal

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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle

Ordinaries|

Bishops of Nesqually
Augustin-Magloire Blanchet
Egidius Junger

Bishops of Seattle
Edward John O'Dea
Gerald Shaughnessy

Archbishops of Seattle
Thomas Arthur Connolly
Raymond Hunthausen
Thomas Joseph Murphy
Alexander Joseph Brunett
J. Peter Sartain
Paul D. Etienne

Auxiliary bishops|

Thomas Edward Gill
Nicolas Eugene Walsh
Donald Wuerl
George Leo Thomas
Joseph J. Tyson
Eusebio Elizondo Almaguer
Daniel Henry Mueggenborg
Frank R. Schuster

Churches|

Cathedral
St. James Cathedral

Proto-cathedral
Proto-Cathedral of St. James the Greater, Vancouver

Parishes
Blessed Sacrament, Seattle
Holy Rosary, Tacoma
North American Martyrs, Edmonds
St. Rose de Viterbo, Longview

Missions
St. Anne, Marysville
St. Francis Xavier, Toledo
Immaculate Conception, Steilacoom

Education|

Higher education
Seattle University
Saint Martin's University, Lacey

High schools
Archbishop Murphy High School, Everett
Bellarmine Preparatory School, Tacoma
Bishop Blanchet High School, Seattle
Eastside Catholic School, Sammamish
Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bellevue
Holy Names Academy, Seattle
John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, Burien
O'Dea High School, Seattle
Pope John Paul II High School, Lacey
Seattle Preparatory School, Seattle
Seton High School, Vancouver

Priests|

Jean-Baptiste Brondel
Joseph Patrick Dougherty
Joseph Francis McGrath
Cornelius Michael Power
Francis X. Prefontaine

Miscellany|

Calvary Cemetery, Seattle
Camp Gallagher, Lakebay
St. Edward Seminary, Kenmore
House of Providence, Vancouver
PeaceHealth
Providence Health & Services
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health division of Catholic Health Initiatives

* Catholicism portal

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Vatican

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