Alphonse Joseph Glorieux (February 1, 1844 – August 25, 1917) was a Belgian-born missionary and prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Boise in Idaho from 1893 until his death in 1917. He previously served as vicar apostolic of the Territory of Idaho from 1885 to 1893.

Biography

Early life

Alphonse Glorieux was born on February 1, 1844 in Dottignies, in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

province of Hainaut Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a province of Wallonia and Belgium. To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders (clock ...

, to Auguste and Lucy (née Vanderghinste) Glorieux. He graduated from Collège Saint-Amand in

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

in 1863, then entered the American College of Louvain in Leuven to study for the priesthood, with the intent to do missionary work in the United States.

Priesthood

Glorieux was ordained a priest on August 17, 1867 by Cardinal

Engelbert Sterckx Engelbert Sterckx (2 November 1792 – 4 December 1867), was the Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium from 1832 to 1867. Life Engelbert (Engelbertus) Sterckx was born 2 November 1792 in Ophem, Brabant. His parents were farmers. He began his studies in ...

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

.In October 1867, two months after his ordination, Glorieux left Belgium and arrived in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, in December. He spent a few months in Portland as secretary to Bishop François Blanchet before doing missionary work in

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, and Roseburg in Southern Oregon. After holding further posts in

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, he was appointed the first president of the newly established St. Michael's College, a school for boys in Portland, in 1871.

Vicar apostolic of Idaho

On February 27, 1885, Glorieux was named the second

vicar apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of '' Apollonia'' by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. His appointment ended a nine-year vacancy following the resignation of Bishop Louis Lootens. He received his episcopal consecration on April 19, 1885, from Archbishop

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

, with Archbishop William Gross and Bishop Camillus Maes serving as co-consecrators, at the Cathedral of the Assumption in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Bishop of Boise

The vicariate was elevated to the Diocese of Boise, encompassing the entire state of Idaho, on August 25, 1893 and Glorieux was named its first bishop. During his 24-year tenure, he oversaw significant growth in the diocese. According to his obituary in the ''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

'': "The membership of the Catholic church in Idaho has multiplied itself eight times since Bishop Glorieux came to the state, and the number of its churches has increased in a like porportion...and he has been largely responsible for the building and maintenance of the several Catholic hospitals now carrying on their work in the state." In 1906 he laid the cornerstone for the Church of St. John the Evangelist in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

. Alphonse Glorieux died at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland on August 25, 1917, at age 73.

References

External links

*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glorieux, Alphonse Joseph 1844 births 1917 deaths People from Mouscron 19th-century Belgian Roman Catholic priests Roman Catholic bishops of Boise 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Belgian emigrants to the United States Walloon people Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni American College of the Immaculate Conception alumni