Paul-Antoine Léonard de Villefeix

Paul-Antoine Léonard de Villefeix OP (born 1728 – 1780 ) was a French Dominican priest. He conducted the first Christian service in New Zealand. He was the chaplain of French navigator and explorer Jean-François-Marie de Surville when de Surville, in his ship, the Saint Jean Baptiste, sighted the North Island of New Zealand in 1769. De Surville remained two weeks in Doubtless Bay, near Whatuwhiwhi, where Villefeix celebrated the first Mass in New Zealand waters on Christmas Day 1769.

Early life

Villefeix was born near Étouars in Perigord. One of his brothers, Léonard de Lestang, was also a priest, himself becoming parish priest of Étouars.

Chaplain Villefeix was invited by the Surville family to be the chaplain for an expedition to the South Pacific on the ship Saint Jean Baptiste led by navigator and explorer Jean-François-Marie de Surville.

South America In April 1770, the Surville expedition reached Peru and Captain Surville drowned while trying to land through surf on a beach. Seventeen months later, in 1771, while the Saint Jean-Baptiste was being held by Spanish authorities in Callao, Surville's nephew and Villefeix left the ship to go goldmining up a river.

Parish priest Villefeix returned to France and he too became parish priest at his home town, Étouars, where he died in 1780, aged 52.