John Stephen Bazin (October 15, 1796–April 23, 1848) was the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Vincennes (now the

Archdiocese of Indianapolis The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis ( la, Archidioecesis Indianapolitana) is a division of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. When it was originally erected as the Diocese of Vincennes on May 6, 1834, it encompassed all of ...

Life

Jean Etienne Bazin was born at Duerne, near

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 ...

, on October 15, 1796, the fourth of nine children of Jean-Antoine and Claudine (née Ville) Bazin. He was educated in his native country and ordained in

Lyon Cathedral Lyon Cathedral (french: link=no, Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon) is a Roman Catholic church located on Place Saint-Jean in central Lyon, France. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and is the seat of the Archbishop of L ...

on July 22, 1822.Spillane, Edward. "John Stephen Bazin." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 11 May 2021 In November 1830, he arrived in the United States and began his labours among the Roman Catholics of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, where for seventeen years he toiled zealously for the religious instruction of the young, organizing the Sunday schools and establishing the Catholic Orphan Asylum Society. He was also the vicar-general of the diocese. In 1846 at the request of Bishop

Michael Portier Bishop Michael Portier (September 7, 1795, Montbrison, Loire, Montbrison, France – May 14, 1859, Mobile, Alabama) was a Roman Catholic bishop in the United States and the first Archdiocese of Mobile, Bishop of Mobile. He immigrated to the ...

, Bazin went to France to secure the services of the

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

for

Spring Hill College Spring Hill College is a private, Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Bishop of Mobile. Along with being the oldest college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college in the ...

of Mobile, Alabama, and of the

Brothers of the Christian Schools french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

for the Boys' Orphan Asylum. In both efforts he was successful. When

Célestine Guynemer de la Hailandière Celestine is a given name and a surname. People Given name * Pope Celestine I (died 432) * Pope Celestine II (died 1144) * Pope Celestine III (c. 1106–1198) * Pope Celestine IV (died 1241) * Pope Celestine V (1215–1296) * Antipope Cele ...

, Bishop of Vincennes, resigned his see in 1847, Bazin was consecrated his successor on the 24th of October of that year. His episcopal career, which promised to be one of great usefulness to the church, was cut short by his untimely death from pneumonia only seven months later. Despite his short term as bishop, Bazin was able to heal some of the rifts that had formed in his diocese. He reassured

Theodore Guerin Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Saskatche ...

that her congregation, 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 ...

, could continue despite numerous issues they had had with Bishop de la Hailandière, who had banished Guerin from the diocese and threatened excommunication. In a letter to another bishop,

Jean-Baptiste Bouvierr Jean-Baptiste is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was King ...

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

, Guerin described Bazin as "pious, humble, and of an amiable simplicity." Bazin died at

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the Southwestern Indiana, southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville, Indi ...

on April 23, 1848, and was interred in the Old Cathedral."Right Rev. John Stephen Bazin", Archdiocese of Indianapolis
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazin, John Stephen 1796 births 1848 deaths French emigrants to the United States 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile Roman Catholic bishops of Vincennes Religious leaders from Alabama Burials at the St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library