Anthony Rey, S.J. (born at

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, France, 19 March 1807; died near Ceralvo, Mexico, 19 January 1847) was a French

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

academic, and U.S. Army chaplain during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. He was the first

Catholic chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

killed during service with the United States military.

Life

Anthony Rey was born in

, France on 19 March 1807. He studied at the Jesuit college of

Fribourg , neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne , twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France) , website = www.ville-fribourg.ch , Location of , Location of () () o ...

, entered the novitiate, 12 November 1827, and subsequently taught at Fribourg. In 1840 he was sent to the United States, appointed professor of philosophy in

Georgetown College Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains. The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...

, and in 1843 transferred to St. Joseph's Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fluent in French and German, Father Rey was able to preach in English three months after arriving in the United States. He became assistant to the Jesuit provincial of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, pastor of Trinity Church, Georgetown, and vice-president of the college (1845).Wynne, James. "Memoir of the Ev. Anthony Rey, SJ", ''The United States Catholic Magazine and Monthly Review'', Vol. 6, J. Murphy, 1847
/ref> Appointed a chaplain in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in May 1846, he ministered to the wounded and dying at the siege of

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

;De Courcy, Henry. ''Catholic Church in the United States'', T.W. Strong, 1856
/ref> after the capture of the city, he remained with the army at Monterrey and learned Spanish in order to preach to the ''rancheros'' of the neighbourhood. Against the advice of the U.S. officers, he set out for Matamoros, preaching to a congregation of Americans and Mexicans at Ceralvo. It is conjectured that he was killed by a band under the leader

Antonio Canales Rosillo Antonio Canales Rosillo (1802 in Monterrey, Nuevo León – 1852 in Camargo, Tamaulipas) was a 19th-century Mexican politician, surveyor, and military officer also known for co-founding the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande. Military care ...

, as his body was discovered, pierced with

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...

s, a few days later.

Works

He left letters dating from November 1846, which were published as ''

Woodstock Letters The Woodstock Letters were a periodical publication by the Society of Jesus. Originally published by Woodstock College in Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, ...

'' (XVII, 149-50, 152-55, 157-59).

References

;Attribution * The entry cites: **

Augustin de Backer Augustin de Backer (18 July 1809 in Antwerp, Belgium – 1 December 1873 in Liège, Belgium) was a Belgian Jesuit and renowned bibliographer. Early years and Formation De Backer left his country to be educated at the Jesuit schools of France ...

Carlos Sommervogel Carlos Sommervogel (8 January 1834 – 4 March 1902) was a French Jesuit scholar. He was author of the monumental ''Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus'', which served as one of the major references for the editors of the Catholic Encyclope ...

, ''Bibliothèque'', VI, 1689; **''Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography'' (New York, 1888), s. v. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rey, Anthony 19th-century American Jesuits 19th-century French Jesuits Georgetown University faculty French emigrants to the United States United States Army chaplains Mexican–American War chaplains 1807 births 1847 deaths Pastors of Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)

Life

Works

See also

References