Cornelius Van de Ven (June 16, 1865 – May 8, 1932) was a Dutch-born American 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 fourth

Bishop of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major episco ...

in Louisiana from 1910 until his death in 1932. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Natchitoches in Louisiana from 1904 until its dissolution in 1910.

Biography

Early life

Cornelius Van de Ven was born on June 16, 1865 in

Oirschot Oirschot (; ''Orskot'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is situated from the city of Eindhoven and from the city of Tilburg in the province North Brabant (Noord-Brabant). The municipality ha ...

, in the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, to Peter Van de Ven and Joanna Maria Roche. After receiving his early education in

Sint-Michielsgestel Sint-Michielsgestel () is a village in the municipality of Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands. Geography The 120 km long river Dommel flows north from a well near Peer in Belgium. Just north of 's-Hertogenbosch it is joined by the Aa and ...

, he began his studies for the priesthood and attended the diocesan seminary in Haaren. While still a seminarian, Van de Ven accepted an appeal from Archbishop

Francis Janssens Francis August Anthony Joseph Janssens (October 17, 1843 – June 9, 1897) was a Dutch-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Natchez in Mississippi (1881–1888) and as archbishop of the Archdiocese o ...

of New Orleans for missionaries in the United States. His uncle, Rev. Cornelius J. Roche, had already immigrated and served as pastor in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Priesthood

Van de Ven was ordained a priest on May 31, 1890 by Adrianus Godschalk, the bishop of 's-Hertogenbosch. He departed from

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

five months later and arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in November 1890. He made his way to Louisiana, where he was immediately appointed assistant pastor of St. Peter's Parish in

New Iberia New Iberia (french: La Nouvelle-Ibérie; es, Nueva Iberia) is the largest city in and parish seat of Iberia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The city of New Iberia is located approximately southeast of Lafayette, and forms part of the Laf ...

. Van de Venserved as the founding pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Church in

Jennings, Louisiana Jennings is a city in, and the parish seat of, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Lake Charles. The population was 10,383 at the 2010 census, a small decline from the 2000 tabulation. The city is 68 percent white. Jennings is ...

(1891-92) before spending a decade at Immaculate Conception Parish in Lake Charles, Louisiana (1892-1902). From 1902 to 1904, he was pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Bishop of Natchitoches

On August 10, 1904, Van de Ven was appointed to succeed the late Bishop Anthony Durier as bishop of the Diocese of Natchitoches by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on November 30, 1904, from Archbishop Placide Chapelle, with Bishops Thomas Heslin and Gustave Rouxel serving as co-consecrators, at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. At 39, Van de Ven was one of the youngest Catholic bishops in the country.

Bishop of Alexandria

The most important act of Van de Ven's administration was transferring the seat of the diocese from Natchitoches to

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, a railroad town with a large Catholic population. The diocese was renamed the Diocese of Alexandria on August 6, 1910, and St. Francis Xavier Church was designated as the new cathedral. Van de Ven recruited the

Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the name of two Roman Catholic religious institutes based in the U.S. state of Texas. They use the abbreviation C.C.V.I. ( la, Congregatio Caritatis Verbi Incarnati). History Hous ...

to the diocese, where they established North Louisiana's first Catholic hospital (Schumpert Medical Center in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

) and St. Joseph's orphanage. He promoted lay organizations and served as state chaplain of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

. During his tenure, new churches and parochial schools were established for African-American Catholics in Marksville and

Mansura, Louisiana Mansura is a town in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,419 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Mansura is home to the Cochon de Lait Festival, and claims to be the Cochon de La ...

. In 1929, he was named an

assistant to the papal throne The Bishops-Assistant at the Pontifical Throne were ecclesiastical titles in the Roman Catholic Church. It designated prelates belonging to the Papal Chapel, who stood near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions. They ranked immediately belo ...

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

. Cornelius Van de Ven died on May 8, 1932, at Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport, at age 66.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van De Ven, Cornelius 1865 births 1932 deaths Ven, Cornelius Dutch emigrants to the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Alexandria 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States