John Anthony Forest (December 25, 1838 – March 11, 1911) was a
French-born clergyman 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
Bishop of San Antonio from 1895 until his death in 1911.
Biography
John Forest was born in
Saint-Martin-la-Sauveté,
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
, to Jean and Marie (née Thollet) Forest.
He studied at the minor seminaries in
Saint-Jodard and
L'Argentière before entering Grand Seminary of St. Irénée in
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 ...
s.
[ While a ]subdeacon
Subdeacon (or sub-deacon) is a minor order or ministry for men in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed between the acolyte (or reader) and the deacon in the order of precedence.
Subdeacons in ...
in Lyons, he accepted an invitation from Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis
Claude Marie Dubuis (March 10, 1817 – May 22, 1895) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas. from 1862 until his death in 1892. He founded the Sisters of Cha ...
to serve as a 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 ...
in the Diocese of Galveston
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
in the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.[ With about fifty other seminarians, he sailed for in 1863 but was initially refused admittance to the port by General ]Benjamin Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is best ...
, who suspected the group were allies of the Confederacy.[
Forest was ]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 by Bishop Dubois on April 12, 1863.[ He was afterward named ]pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
o
Sacred Heart Church
in Hallettsville
Hallettsville is a city in Lavaca County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lavaca County. Hallettsville also has a sizable German-Texan population as the towns founders were mainly German ...
, where he remained for thirty-two years.[
On August 27, 1895, Forest was appointed the third Bishop of San Antonio by ]Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
.[ He received his episcopal ]consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
on the following October 28 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 ...
, with Bishops Edward Fitzgerald and Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher
Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher (February 19, 1846 – January 21, 1918) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston in Texas from 1892 until his death in 1918.
Biography
Early life
One ...
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, ...
, in the Cathedral of San Fernando Cathedral of San Fernando or San Fernando Cathedral may refer to:
* Basilca Cathedral of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina
* Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Pampanga), Philippines
* Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Re ...
.[ During his tenure, he established several new churches, educational facilities, and charitable institutions.][ Due to his declining health, he received John William Shaw from the Diocese of Mobile as a ]coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...
in 1910. Shortly after Shaw's arrival, he retired to Santa Rosa Infirmary.[ He later died at age 72, and was buried in San Fernando Cemetery.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest, John Anthony
1838 births
1911 deaths
People from Loire (department)
French emigrants to the United States
French Roman Catholic missionaries
19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Roman Catholic bishops of San Antonio
Roman Catholic missionaries in the United States
People from Hallettsville, Texas