Jean-Baptiste Brondel

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

Early life Jean-Baptiste Brondel was born on 23 February 1842 in Bruges in the Kingdom of Belgium to Charles Joseph and Isabella (née Becquet) Brondel. One of seven children, Jean-Baptiste was the youngest of his parents' five sons; his eldest brother and one of his sisters also pursued religious careers. He received his early education from the Xaverian Brothers in his native city. In 1852, Brondel entered the College of St. Louis in Bruges, where he studied for ten years. Inspired by the works of the missionary Reverend Pierre-Jean De Smet in the American West, Brondel decided to become a missionary to the Native American peoples.

Priesthood Brondel was ordained to the priesthood in Mechelen, Belgium, by Cardinal Engelbert Sterckx on 17 December 1864. At age 24, he was below the age requirement for ordination, but was granted a dispensation by Pope Pius IX. He also significantly increased the number of priests; by 1903, the number of seminarians in Montana increased from one to thirteen. He took a particular interest in the evangelization of Native Americans. The United States government often used his popularity among that community to further its aims in the community.

Jean-Baptiste Brondel died on 23 February 1842 at Helena at age 61, and was buried in a vault under the cathedral of that city.