Libert H. Boeynaems, formally Libert Hubert John Louis Boeynaems, SS.CC., (August 18, 1857 – May 13, 1926), was the fourth

vicar apostolic A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands — now the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu The Catholic Diocese of Honolulu ( la, Diœcesis Honoluluensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that comprises the entire state of Hawaii and the unincorporated Hawaiian Islands. The Diocese of Honol ...

. He was born in Antwerp,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, the son of John and Leopoldina (Van Opstal) Boeynaems. He was educated at the Jesuit college of Antwerp and the Seminary at Mechelen and finished his scholasticate at the University of Leuven. Boeynaems was ordained to the priesthood as a member of the

Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary () abbreviated SS.CC., is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men priests and brothers. The congregation is also known as the Picpus because their firs ...

on September 11, 1881."Boeynaems, Right Reverend Libert H.", ''The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers'', New York, the Encyclopedia Press, 1917, p. 16
/ref> Boeynaems Crest Honolulu

As part of his missionary work, Boeynaems sailed to the

Kingdom of Hawai‘i The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent islan ...

arriving in Honolulu on November 29, 1881, to become a pastor (in January 1882) to the fledgeling Catholic community of native Hawaiians on the island of Kaua‘i in the district encompassing Līhu‘e to Hanalei. He later ministered to those on Kaua‘i in the district encompassing Līhu‘e to Mana. During his first few years in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Boeynaems was a witness to the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, proclamation of the Republic of Hawai‘i and establishment of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Territory of Hawai‘i. In 1895 he was transferred to

Wailuku, Maui Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th centur ...

. In December, 1902, the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

appointed him Pro-Vicar. On April 8, 1903, he was appointed Vicar Apostolic and was subsequently consecrated titular Bishop of Zeugma in Syria by Archbishop Montgomery in Saint Mary's Cathedral in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on July 25, 1903. On April 11, 1915, Msgr. Boeynaems consecrated Saint Agnes-in-the-Palms at Kaka‘ako, a former Protestant church at the intersection of Kawaiahao and Kamani streets in Honolulu, to serve the growing population of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and native Hawaiians in the Kaka‘ako district. After his death, he was buried at the

Honolulu Catholic Cemetery The Honolulu Catholic Cemetery (also known as the King Street Catholic Cemetery) is a cemetery in Honolulu, Hawaii. The cemetery is for Roman Catholics and is located at 839-A South King Street, . It is maintained by the Roman Catholic Diocese of ...

downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...

near Thomas Square at the intersection of Ward Avenue and King Street.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boeynaems, Libert Belgian emigrants to the United States Apostolic vicars of the Hawaiian Islands Picpus Fathers 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic missionaries in Hawaii 1857 births 1926 deaths Clergy from Antwerp KU Leuven alumni Belgian Roman Catholic missionaries Burials at Honolulu Catholic Cemetery Contributors to the Catholic Encyclopedia