Joseph Anciaux

Joseph B. Anciaux, SSJ (1858 or 1860–23 February 1931), was a Belgian Catholic priest who ministered in the United States during the early 20th century until his return to Belgium. Anciaux worked among largely African American populations and was a member of the Josephites, a society of apostolic life founded to work among African Americans.

After witnessing racism among the American episcopate, Anciaux heavily criticized the hierarchy and his priestly faculties were eventually suspended in the Diocese of Richmond. However, his protestations spurred Pope Leo XIII to establish the Catholic Board for Mission Work Among the Colored People in 1907. His work also influenced the later-canonized Katharine Drexel's missionary work with Native Americans and African Americans, as well as Archbishop Sebastiano Martinelli's inquiries into the American Catholic hierarchy. or 1860.

Due to illness, Anciaux returned to Belgium.