Jean-Marie Odin

Jean-Marie Odin, C.M. (English: John Mary; February 25, 1800 – May 25, 1870) was a French-born Catholic prelate and member of the Congregation of the Mission who served as Archbishop of New Orleans from 1861 to 1870. He previously served as the first Vicar Apostolic of Texas from 1841 to 1847 and as the first Bishop of Galveston from 1847 to 1861. He has been called the father of the modern Catholic Church in Texas.

Biography

Early life The seventh of ten children, Jean-Marie Odin was born in Hauteville, an hamlet inside the city of Ambierle in the Department of Loire in France to Jean Odin and Claudine Marie (née Seyrol) Odin. After showing interest in Catholicism at age nine, Odin's parents sent him to study Latin under his uncle, the pastor of Noailly. After his uncle died, he returned home to study on his own. Odin eventually attended schools in Roanne in Verrières, then began his studies in philosophy at L'Argentière and Alix. He finally ended up at the Sulpician seminary in Lyon.

In 1822, while still in seminary, Odin was recruited by a representative of Bishop Louis Dubourg to do mission work for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Odin professed vows in the Congregation of the Mission (also known as the Vincentians) on November 8, 1822. After his ordination, Dubourg performed missionary work in New Madrid, Missiouri, and with Native American tribes along the Arkansas River. He also became a faculty member at St. Mary's of the Barrens' seminary, later being named president. Odin accompanied Bishop Joseph Rosati to the Second Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1833 as a theologian. He later briefly served as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, opening a Catholic school there in 1838. During his tenure, the Texan Congress returned several churches that had been secularized by the Mexican government. He opened several schools and invited the Ursuline nuns to operate them. In December 1845, the Republic of Texas was accepted into the United States as the State of Texas. Odin also purchased a number of enslaved African Americans during this period.

Bishop of Galveston On May 21, 1847, Odin was named the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Galveston, which included all of Texas. He was one of Pope Pius IX's contacts in his unsuccessful attempts to mediate a peace agreement to end the war. Odin allowed priests from the diocese to serve as chaplains in the Confederate States Army and nuns from the diocese served in field hospitals across the Southern states. In April 1863, Odin returned to New Orleans. Maistre was only accepted back in good standing to the priesthood after Odin's death.

Odin incorporated the archdiocese in 1866 and closed the diocesan seminary in 1867 due to lack of funds. He founded the diocesan newspaper, The Morning Star, in February 1868. Odin went to Rome to attend the First Vatican Council in 1869, but left the city early for health reasons. Suffering from neuralgia and in overall poor health, Odin went home to Saint-Georges-Haute-Ville to convalesce. He would never return to the United States. He died in Ambierle, Loire, on May 25, 1870, at age 70.