William Brasseur

William Brasseur, (January 12, 1903 – February 1, 1993), was a Belgian bishop and missionary of the Catholic Church who served as the first Vicar Apostolic of the Mountain Province (later known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio) from 1948 to 1981.

Early life and priesthood Brasseur was born on January 12, 1903, in Marke, Belgium in the Diocese of Bruges. He joined the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) and was ordained a priest on August 18, 1929. In 1931, he was assigned to the Philippines as part of the CICM missionary thrust to evangelize the remote mountain areas in Northern Luzon. He was reassigned to Belgium for three years from 1935 until 1938 to teach at the University of Louvain's CICM School of Theology. He then returned to the Philippines and was assigned to Kabayan, Benguet. He later served as Parish Priest in Baguio Cathedral and Provincial Superior of CICM. which included present-day Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Kalinga. He was consecrated Titular Bishop of Agathonice on August 24, 1948,

Bishop Brasseur is credited with laying the foundations of the Catholic Church in the Cordillera region, especially among indigenous Igorot communities. From 1948 to 1981, he ordained 29 native priests and consecrated one bishop. He also established 59 schools, 2 seminaries, 44 mission stations, 8 rural hospitals, and 20 dispensaries across the Mountain Province. In 1992 or one year before his death, the Apostolic Vicariate of Montañosa was divided into three jurisdictions: Baguio, Bontok-Lagawe, and Tabuk.