Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez (January 17, 1822 – June 3, 1890) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest,

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 pref ...

of British Columbia, and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Miletopolis from 1863 to 1890.

Curriculum Vitae

Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez was born on January 17, 1822, in

Brillon Brillon is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is northwest of Valenciennes and northeast of Douai. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the No ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Ordination

In 1849, Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez became a

priest of

Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary Congregation of Papal Right, religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a France, French priest born in Aix-en-Provence ...

(OMI). He joined the Oregon Missions in 1850 and by 1858 became Vicar of Missions for

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and then, in 1864, for

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

Consecration

In 1863, Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez became the first

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. In 1864, d'Herbomez became

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of New Westminster The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver ( la, Archidioecesis Vancouveriensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Holy Rosary Cathed ...

(later to become the

Archdiocese of Vancouver The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver ( la, Archidioecesis Vancouveriensis) is a Roman Catholic Latin archdiocese that includes part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is the Holy Rosary Cathed ...

). Louis-Joseph d'Herbomez died on June 3, 1890, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.

Legacy

Credited with being the first Bishop of the

. In 1862, d'Herbomez purchased land on the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

in what is now the District of Mission, which gets its name from a

mission school The Mission School (sometimes called "New Folk" or "Urban Rustic") is an art movement of the 1990s and 2000s, centered in the Mission District, San Francisco, California. History and characteristics This movement is generally considered to have ...

founded on those lands in the 1880s. A creek flowing through those lands, which are now the Pekw'Xe:yles

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

and the adjoining

Fraser Valley Heritage Park St. Mary's Indian Residential School was the name of two Indian residential schools in Mission, British Columbia. The first was operated by the Roman Catholic Church of Canada, and the second was operated by the Canadian federal government. Approxi ...

, was named

D'Herbomez Creek D'Herbomez Creek is a creek in eastern Mission, British Columbia, flowing southeast to join the Fraser River at the Pekw'Xe:yles Indian Reserve (formerly the grounds of St. Mary's Indian Residential School). History The name was adopted in 1952 ...

in his honour in 1952. A rock outcrop in the upper part of that creek's basin reminded him of the rocks at the

Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes () is a Catholic Marian shrine and pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The sanctuary includes several religious buildings and monuments around ...

in France and he and others would meditate at the site. After his departure for France in 1887, his dream of building a shrine to the Virgin was fulfilled in 1892 and the first Marian shrine in British Columbia was built on the spot of his meditations. Named the

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes () is a Catholic Marian shrine and pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The sanctuary includes several religious buildings and monuments around ...

, it was an eight-sided, domed structure with detachable walls, around which assembled parishioners, most of them

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

people, would assemble for mass and celebrations, and it was the focus of an annual Passion Play, conducted in the Chinook Jargon, held on the mission grounds. Renovated in 1954 after years of disuse and disrepair, it was nonetheless demolished in 1965 along with the other older buildings of the mission, due to the construction of the newer

St. Mary's Indian Residential School St. Mary's Indian Residential School was the name of two Indian residential schools in Mission, British Columbia. The first was operated by the Roman Catholic Church of Canada, and the second was operated by the Canadian federal government. Approxi ...

, successor to the original St. Mary's Mission. Plans to reconstruct it were launched immediately afterwards by the

Mission Heritage Association Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, who in collaboration with the local chapter of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

built a reconstruction of the Grotto, opening it in May, 1997.Fraser Valley Heritage Park website, Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes page

Service to God

* Priest for 41 years * Bishop for 26 years

Notes

In 1866, the

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: *Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) *Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also *History of Br ...

's capital was

and the

Colony of Vancouver Island The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...

's capital was

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. The two colonies joined together to become the

with the capital in Victoria. In 1871, British Columbia, became the 6th province to join the

Confederation of Canada Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion of ...

References

External links

*
Catholic Hierarchy

Archdiocese of Vancouver former bishops
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbomez, Louis-Joseph D 1822 births 1890 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada Roman Catholic bishops of New Westminster Participants in the Second Vatican Council Pre-Confederation British Columbia people Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Clergy from Nord (French department) French emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia