Peter Verdaguer y Prat

Peter Verdaguer y Prat (December 10, 1835 – October 26, 1911) was a Catalan-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as vicar apostolic of Brownsville in Texas from 1890 until his death in 1911.

Biography

Early life Peter Verdaguer y Prat was born on December 10, 1835, in Sant Pere de Torelló in the Province of Barcelona in the Kingdom of Spain to Francisco Verdaguer and Maria Prat Verdaguer. He attended seminaries of Vic and Barcelona, both in Spain, before immigrating to the United States. Verdaguer completed his theological studies at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After his ordination, the diocese assigned Verdaguer `as a missionary and pastor of parishes in San Bernardino and Los Angeles, California. He invited several religious institutes into the vicariate, including the Sisters of Mercy, Claretians, and Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. He opened two hospitals, several churches and parochial schools, and an orphanage. He increased the number of priests in the vicariate from 10 to 32 and saw the Catholic population increase by 40,000.

Death Verdaguer died on October 26, 1911, while traveling from Laredo to Mercedes, Texas to perform confirmations; he was age 75. He is buried at Laredo Catholic Cemetery.