Peter Paul Lefevere, or Lefebre (April 30, 1804 – March 4, 1869), was a 19th-century
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
born
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 c ...
of the Catholic Church in the United States. He was a missionary priest in the states of
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
and
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
before he served as
coadjutor bishop of the
Diocese of Detroit in the state of
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
from 1841-1869.
Early life and ministry
Pierre-Paul Lefevere was born in
Roeselare
Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke.
Th ...
(French: Roulers),
West Flanders
)
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg
, shield_size =
, image_map ...
, Belgium to Charles and Albertine (Muylle) Lefevere.
He was educated in Paris at the
Lazarist
, logo =
, image = Vincentians.png
, abbreviation = CM
, nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians
, established =
, founder = Vincent de Paul
, fou ...
seminary, and left for the United States in 1828 where he completed his studies for the priesthood at The Barrens in
Perryville, Missouri
Perryville is a city in Perry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census. Perryville is the county seat of Perry County.
History
Perryville was selected the county seat of Perry County by Robert ...
. He was ordained a priest in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
by Bishop
Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati (30 January 1789 – 25 September 1843) was an Italian-born Catholic missionary to the United States who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, ...
in 1831.
His first appointment was to
New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid ( es, Nueva Madrid) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo ...
but was transferred after a few months to
Salt River. The parish territory included mission stations in northern Missouri, western Illinois and southern Iowa. His health was affected by the extent of his work, and in 1841 he returned to Europe to rest.
Diocese of Detroit
While Lefevere was in Rome Pope
Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...
named him titular bishop of ''Zela'' and
coadjutor bishop of Detroit on July 23, 1841. In effect, Lefevere would be the leader of the Detroit diocese, as Bishop
Frederick Rese had become incapacitated for unspecified reasons
and had returned to Europe, while retaining the title of Bishop of Detroit until his death in 1871. (As coadjutor, Bishop Lefevere exercised the authority of a diocesan bishop as the administrator of the diocese, but he never held the title of Bishop of Detroit.) He returned to the United States and was consecrated on November 21, 1841 by Bishop
Francis Patrick Kenrick of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops
John England of
Charleston and
John Joseph Hughes of
New York.
This was a period of growth for the Catholic Church in Michigan. When Lefevere arrived in Detroit, the diocese covered the
Michigan Territory, which at the time encompassed modern-day Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as all of Michigan. There were two parishes in the city and only twenty-five in the diocese. During his time as bishop the number of parishes in the city increased to eleven and 160 in the diocese, which was reduced to the lower peninsula of Michigan in 1853. There were 18 priests in the diocese when he arrived and that number grew to 88 by the time of his death.
[ He went to Belgium to recruit priests and the ]Redemptorists
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...
were the first order to staff a parish. He established St. Thomas Seminary, most likely in his own home. With Bishop Martin Spalding
Martin John Spalding (May 23, 1810 – February 7, 1872) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Louisville (1850–1864) and Archbishop of Baltimore (1864–1872). He advocated aid for freed slaves follow ...
of Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
, he established the American College at Louvain in Belgium for the education of new priests and assigned four of his priests as the first four rectors of the school.[
The diocese under Rese had been poorly run and suffered from financial mismanagement. Lefevere established diocesan statutes in 1843 and presided over the first diocesan synod in 1859. He won a dispute with some of the laity over the ownership of church property. He built Saints Peter and Paul Church in Detroit, which became his cathedral in 1848, replacing Ste. Anne de Detroit. He bought property throughout the diocese where possible churches could be built. This became a financial investment for the diocese to draw upon to carry out its mission.Clarke, Richard Henry. "Rt. Rev. Peter Paul Lefevere, D.D.', ''Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States'', Vol. 2, P. O'Shea, 1872, pp. 191 et seq]
Lefevere also served the larger church in the United States. He took an active role in the provincial councils of Baltimore and Cincinnati. In 1852 he attended the First Plenary Council of Baltimore and the Second Plenary Council in 1866.
Bishop Lefevere helped to establish several charitable institutions in the diocese, which included four orphanages, a hospital and an asylum for the mentally ill. The Daughters of Charity became the first order of teaching sisters to come to Detroit.[ The ]Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.) is a Catholic religious institute of sisters, founded by Fr Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR, and a co-founder of the Oblate Sister of Providence, Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin, in 1845.
...
were established in the diocese in 1845. Numerous other religious orders of men and women were introduced to the diocese to teach in schools and staff parishes. He took care of the pastoral needs of the Native Americans and those of mixed-blood in his diocese. He was an advocate of the Temperance Movement
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
, especially among Native Americans.
Lefevere died in Detroit at the age of 64 after serving the Diocese of Detroit for 28 years, and was buried in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.[ His remains were later transferred to Holy Sepulcher Cemetery to be with other bishops of Detroit.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lefevere, Peter Paul
1804 births
1869 deaths
19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Roman Catholic bishops of Detroit
People from West Flanders
Clergy from Detroit