Louis-Joseph Delebecque (1796–1864) was the 21st

bishop of Ghent The Diocese of Ghent (Latin: ''Dioecesis Gandavensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Belgium. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropoli ...

, in

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 ...

, from November 1838 until his death.A. Simon, "Delebecque, Louis-Joseph", in ''

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

''
vol. 30
(Brussels, 1958), 323-327.

Life

Delebecque was born in

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

on 7 December 1796. In 1831 he was appointed professor of dogmatics at the

Major Seminary of Ghent The Major Seminary in Ghent was an institution for the training of Catholic clergy for the diocese of Ghent, first founded in 1569. It has been established at three different locations in the city. Since 2006 diocesan clergy from Ghent have been tra ...

, leaving in 1833 to take up a position as secretary to Mgr

Franciscus Renatus Boussen Franciscus is a Latin given name, originally an epithet meaning "the Franks, Frank, the Frenchman". It was applied to Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226). Francis had been baptized Giovanni (John); his father was Duchy of Spoleto, Italia ...

, administrator apostolic of West Flanders (and from 1834 bishop of the reconstituted diocese of Bruges). In September 1833 he was appointed president of the Major Seminary, Bruges. Appointed as bishop of Ghent on 13 September 1838, he was consecrated on 4 November. On 21 December 1838, he prohibited the clergy of his diocese from any involvement with periodicals disseminating the democratic ideas of Lamennais. This is thought to have had an impact on the outcome of the legislative elections of 1839. Other measures taken included the setting up of a synodal council for clerical appointments, the drawing up of new statutes for the diocesan clergy and the cathedral chapter, encouraging the establishment of Sunday schools, and the publication of a new edition of the

propers The proper (Latin: ''proprium'') is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date, either representing an observance within the liturgical year, or of a particular saint or significant event. The term is used in contrast to the ...

of saints of the diocese. In 1839 he founded a

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

Sint-Niklaas Sint-Niklaas (; french: Saint-Nicolas, ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and . Sint-Nikl ...

to train primary teachers, and between 1839 and 1862 he founded diocesan secondary schools in eight towns in

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

. He became involved in attempts to reform philosophy teaching at the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of ...

. In September 1856 he caused consternation with a pastoral letter advising parents against sending their children to the

University of Ghent Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

, given its non-Catholic academic climate, and warning against the secular ethos of some secondary schools. The controversy to which this gave rise is thought to have helped the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

to victory in the 1857 elections. He submitted his resignation in 1858, but was convinced to remain in his position. He supported the papal promulgation of the dogma of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

in 1854, and in 1859 reintroduced

Peter's Pence Peter's Pence (or ''Denarii Sancti Petri'' and "Alms of St Peter") are donations or payments made directly to the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The practice began under the Saxons in England and spread through Europe. Both before and after the ...

in his diocese. He also encouraged

lay apostolate The lay apostolate is made up of laypersons, who are neither consecrated religious nor in Holy Orders, who exercise a ministry within the Catholic Church. Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, b ...

s for the sick and the poor, as well as for doctrinal instruction, and was active in relieving food shortages during the

potato blight ''Phytophthora infestans'' is an oomycete or water mold, a fungus-like microorganism that causes the serious potato and tomato disease known as late blight or potato blight. Early blight, caused by ''Alternaria solani'', is also often called "po ...

of 1846–1848. He died in Ghent on 2 October 1864.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delebecque, Louis-Joseph 1796 births 1864 deaths Bishops of Ghent 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Belgium People from Ypres