William A. "Buck" Stanton (1870–1909) was an American

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

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

and naturalist who was a missionary to

British Honduras British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973,

, today's

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

Naturalist

Stanton was the first Jesuit to go from

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

to the Belize mission, in 1897. He was a naturalist, contributing specimens of the country’s

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

, and discovering the ''Asplenium Stantonii Copeland'', a fern plant. The Smithsonian also credits him with discovering 67 new varieties of hymenopterous insects, of which one genus and eight species are named after him.Carrabine, M.
William Stanton of Belize
'. Mission Series #14, (1932) pp. 25-34. While teaching biology at St. John’s College, he organized the first field day, beginning a long tradition of sporting events in the Belizean community.Woods, Charles M. Sr., et al. ''Years of Grace: The History of Roman Catholic Evangelization in Belize: 1524-2014''. Belize: Roman Catholic Diocese of Belize City-Belmopan, 2015, p. 113.

Priesthood

After two years in Belize, Stanton left for priestly studies and was ordained in the

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, during this time helping at the

Manila Observatory The Manila Observatory is a non-profit research institute housed on the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines. It was founded by the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits, in 1865 as the Observatorio Meteo ...

, which was a part of the Jesuit

Ateneo de Manila University , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits) , academic ...

. He returned to Belize in 1904 to establish the church at

Benque Viejo del Carmen Benque Viejo del Carmen ("Benque") is the westernmost town in Belize, by road west and south of Belize City, at the Guatemalan border. San Ignacio, Belize, San Ignacio lies 13 km to the east and Melchor de Mencos just across the border. The ...

on Belize’s Western border with

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

. Benque had been a mission station in the heart of

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

lands, but beginning with Stanton took on permanency. He described the parish in his letters home. "I have eight hundred people here at Benque Viejo. ... Some talk a little Spanish, but most of them Mayan. My district comprises over 30 parishes and I am the only priest." He wrote of battling his way for 40 miles through the bush, about 10 of it on foot with a 50-pound saddle bag after his horse slipped its halter. After Stanton contracted cancer, he returned in 1909 to the United States, where he died at the age of 40.

Naturalist

Priesthood

References

Further reading