Jacques-Maurice des Landes d’Aussac de Saint Palais (November 15, 1811 – June 28, 1877) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman 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 Vincennes, from 1848 until his death.

Biography

De Saint Palais was born in La Salvetat, and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood on May 28, 1836 in the

Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris , image = Paris Saint-Sulpice Fassade 4-5 A.jpg , image_size = , pushpin map = Paris , pushpin label position = , coordinates = , location = Place Saint-Sulpice6th arrondis ...

. Bishop Simon Bruté had traveled to France to recruit priests for his new

Diocese of Vincennes The Diocese of Vincennes (in Latin, Vincennapolis), the first Roman Catholic diocese in Indiana, was erected 6 May 1834 by Pope Gregory XVI. Its initial ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompassed Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois. In 18 ...

. In July 1836 De Saint Palais left to join Bruté in America, where he served in various parishes.

Bishop

After the death of the third bishop, Bishop Jean Bazin, De Saint Palais served as administrator until he was named the fourth bishop on October 3, 1848 by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on January 14, 1849 from Bishop Richard Miles, OP, with Bishops

Martin Spalding Martin John Spalding (May 23, 1810 – February 7, 1872) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Louisville (1850–1864) and Archbishop of Baltimore (1864–1872). He advocated aid for freed slaves follow ...

and Hippolyte Du Pontavice, vicar general of Vincennes, serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

."The Death of Bishop St. Palais", Indiana Catholic History
/ref> He closed the diocesan seminary at St. Gabriel's College and began an orphan asylum called St. Vincent's using the seminary building. He championed the building of a new motherhouse for the

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin (known colloquially as Saint Mother Theodore) at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840. Mother Theodo ...

and was in frequent correspondence with their foundress,

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

. In 1849 Guerin established St. Ann's orphanage in Vincennes. In 1854 monks from

Einsiedeln, Switzerland Einsiedeln () is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland known for its monastery, the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey, established in the 10th century. History Early history There was no permanent settlement in the area p ...

, founded St. Meinrad abbey and seminary in southern Indiana. During his time in the diocese, the Catholic population grew from about 30,000 to 80,000. In 1857 part of the diocese was split off to form the Diocese of Fort Wayne and made suffragan to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. Bishop De Saint Palais had to contend with both a cholera epidemic, and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, during which several priests from the diocese served as

chaplains 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 ...

. He recognized that Indianapolis had become a major city, but deferred the decision to move the seat of the diocese to his successor.Kennedy, Sister Francis Assisi (2009). ''The Archdiocese of Indianapolis, 1834–2009: Like a Mustard Seed Growing''. Strasbourg, France: Editions du Signe. pp. 27, 35 The Bishop died at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, at the age of 65 and is buried in the crypt of the Old Cathedral in Vincennes.

References

External links

Archdiocese of Indianapolis - Bishops and Archbishops of the Archdiocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Palais, Jacques-Maurice de 1811 births 1877 deaths French Roman Catholic bishops in North America French emigrants to the United States 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Vincennes Burials at the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library