Alphonse Joseph Glorieux

Alphonse Joseph Glorieux (February 1, 1844 – August 25, 1917) was a Belgian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Boise in Idaho from 1893 for 24 years until his death in 1917. He previously served as the vicar apostolic from 1885 to 1893 for the Apostolic Vicariate of Idaho.

Biography

Early life Alphonse Glorieux was born on February 1, 1844, in Dottignies, in the Province of Hainaut, in the Kingdom of Belgium to Auguste and Lucy (née Vanderghinste) Glorieux. He graduated from the Collège Saint-Amand in Kortrijk, Belgium in 1863, then entered the American College of the Immaculate Conception of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium to study for the priesthood. His goal was to serve as a missionary in the United States.

Priesthood Glorieux was ordained a priest on August 17, 1867, by Cardinal Engelbert Sterckx in Mechelen, Belgium. In October 1867, two months after his ordination, Glorieux left Belgium, arriving in Portland, Oregon, in December 1867.

Vicar Apostolic of Idaho

On February 27, 1885, Glorieux was named the first vicar apostolic of the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho and titular bishop of Apollonia by Pope Leo XIII. In 1906, Glorieux laid the cornerstone for the current Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise.

Alphonse Glorieux died at the old St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon on August 25, 1917, at the age of 73 years.