James Lloyd Breck (June 27, 1818 – April 2, 1876) was a
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 particu ...
,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, and
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
.
Breck is commemorated on April 2 on the
Episcopal calendar of saints.
Early life and education
Breck was born in
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the most populous county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Philadelphia County had a population of 1,603,797. The county is the second smallest county in Pennsy ...
. He was the fourth son of Catherine D. née Israell and George Breck. He was baptized at All Saints Church, Torresdale, Philadelphia, in 1821.
He attended high school at the
Flushing Institute
Flushing may refer to:
Places
* Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom
* Flushing, Queens, New York City
** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens
** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens
** Flushin ...
(at
Flushing, New York
Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...
), founded by
William Augustus Muhlenberg
William Augustus Muhlenberg (September 16, 1796April 8, 1877) was an Episcopal clergyman and educator. Muhlenberg is considered the father of church schools in the United States. An early exponent of the Social Gospel, he founded St. Luke's Hos ...
, who inspired him to resolve at the age of sixteen to devote himself to missionary activity. Senator
James Lloyd of Massachusetts and Breck's uncle financed his education at Flushing and the University of Pennsylvania. He received a B.A. from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
in 1838 and a
B.D. from the
General Theological Seminary
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...
in 1841.
At the seminary he was heavily influenced by
William Whittingham
William Whittingham (c. 1524–1579) was an English Puritan, a Marian exile, and a translator of the Geneva Bible. He was well connected to the circles around John Knox, Bullinger, and Calvin, and firmly resisted the continuance of the English li ...
and the high church movement.
Career
In 1842, by then a deacon in the Episcopal Church, he went to the frontier of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
with two classmates, under the direction of Bishop
Jackson Kemper
Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wha ...
, to found
Nashotah House
Nashotah House is an Anglicanism, Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically Conservatism, ...
, intended as a
monastic community
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
, a
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
, and a center for
theological work. It continues today as a seminary. Breck was ordained into the priesthood later that year by the Missionary Bishop,
Jackson Kemper
Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wha ...
at the Oneida Indian settlement 150 miles north of Nashotah.
![EnmegahbowhBreck1865](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/EnmegahbowhBreck1865.jpg)
In 1850 Breck moved to
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
where he began another mission. On June 23, 1850 he celebrated the first
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
in the
La Crosse
La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...
area. Two years later he began work among the Ojibway, founding St. Columba Mission.
In 1855 Breck married Jane Maria Mills, one of the teachers at the St. Columba Mission. He opened another mission at Leech Lake in 1856, and then in 1857 he moved to Faribault where he and the Rev. Solon Manney began a mission school to train clergy to work in Minnesota missions. Breck worked closely with the first Bishop of Minnesota,
Henry Whipple
Henry Benjamin Whipple (February 15, 1822 – September 16, 1901) was the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, who gained a reputation as a humanitarian and an advocate for Native Americans.
Summary of his life
Born in Adams, New York, he was ...
and the mission school for clergy became Seabury Seminary which survives today as
Bexley-Seabury Western Seminary in Chicago.
Jane Breck died in 1862 and Breck married Sarah Stiles in 1864. Three years later he moved to
Benicia, California
Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the ...
to build another two institutions.
Breck was known as "The Apostle of the Wilderness".
Death
![BreckCross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/BreckCross.jpg)
Breck died in Benicia in 1876. He was buried beneath the altar of the church he served as rector but later his body was removed and reinterred on the grounds of Nashotah House in
Nashotah, Wisconsin
Nashotah is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,395 at the 2010 census. The village took its name from the nearby Nashotah Lakes.
Education
Nashotah House, a seminary of The Episcopal Church, is in Nasho ...
. The recommittal service there had 14 bishops, about 100 priests, and many lay people in attendance.
Legacy
Breck's major legacies were Nashotah House Seminary, Seabury Seminary, and several other institutions since closed including Racine College in
Delafield, Wisconsin
Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, along the Bark River. The population was 7,085 at the 2010 census.
The city of Delafield is a separate municipality from the Town of Delafield, both of which are situated in township 7 North ...
, St. Augustine College in Benicia, California, and St. Mary's School in Benicia.
Breck School
Breck School is an independent college-preparatory preK–12 school in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was founded in 1886 and is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school includes a ''Lower School'' consisting of g ...
in
Golden Valley, Minnesota
Golden Valley is a western and first-ring suburb of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The city is mostly residential and is bordered by U.S. Highway 12 (Interstate 394). Over 15% of the city is parks or nature reserves. ...
, founded in 1886, was named for him.
Henry M. Ackley
Henry Meyers Ackley was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate.
Biography
Ackley was born on January 12, 1827, in what is now known as Ellisburg, New York. He first settled in what would become Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 1857. After leaving to work w ...
, who was married to Breck's niece and had been connected with Nashotah House, later became a member of the
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...
.
Veneration
The Rev. James Lloyd Breck is commemorated on April 3 in the calendar of the
Episcopal Church (USA)
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...
.
References
External links
Documents by and about James Lloyd BreckArticles about Father James Lloyd Breck and Nashotah House, Wisconsin State Historical SocietyWisconsin Historical Society biography of Fr. BreckA Commemoration Service At Seabury SeminarySeabury Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breck, James Lloyd
1818 births
1876 deaths
Clergy from Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania alumni
People from Benicia, California
People from Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Anglican saints
American Episcopal priests
19th-century Christian saints
People from Faribault, Minnesota
Nashotah House people
19th-century American Episcopalians
19th-century American clergy