Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi (July 17, 1760 – October 12, 1814) was a patriot and the first Puerto Rican to be consecrated Bishop.

Early years

Arizmendi de la Torre (birth name: Juan Alejo de Arizmendi y de la Torre was born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

, and there he studied in the convent of the Dominican Friars. He then went to

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

. where he studied Canonical and Civil Law. He earned his doctorate in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

and on July 16, 1785, was ordained a priest.

First Puerto Rican Bishop

In 1803, the King of Spain,

Carlos IV , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles III of Spain , mother =Maria Amalia of Saxony , birth_date =11 November 1748 , birth_place =Palace of Portici, Portici, Naples , death_date = , death_place ...

, made a petition to the Catholic Church, to have Arizmendi named Bishop. On March 25, 1804 Pope Pius VII consecrated Arizmendi, Bishop of San Juan. Upon his return to Puerto Rico, Arizmendi dedicated himself to charity. He was especially interested in helping the poor and needy. Arizmendi financially supported the Hospital of the Conception of San Juan, with money from his own pockets. During his free time, he would make baskets of straw and sell them. He would then use the money to buy clothes, food and other items for the poor. Arizmendi, took it upon himself to nurse and to take care of the sick. He was the founder of the Conciliar Seminary in San Juan. In 1804, Rafael Cordero, a Puerto Rican of African ancestry who was to become known as "The Father of Public Education in Puerto Rico", received the sacrament of Confirmation from the hands of Bishop Arizmendi.

Patriot

He was a stern supporter of Ramon Power y Giralt when this Puerto Rican-born veteran of the Spanish navy and past frigate Captain was elected to represent Puerto Rico in front of the Spanish Courts in Cadiz. Arizmendi gave Ramon Power his episcopal ring, "as sure pledge that will sustain you in the memory of your resolution to protect and maintain the rights of our fellow countrymen, as I myself am resolved to die for my beloved flock". For Arizmendi this was also a national symbol of Puerto Rico by joining his country and God in his heart Arizmendi's statement may have inspired the seizure in 1810 of all ecclesiastical stipends by the royal treasury. In 1814, after traveling around the island in his second pastoral visit he fell ill in Hormigueros in whose Hermitage, now the Basilica Menor de la Virgen de Monserrate, he desired to be buried. Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi died in the City of Arecibo, Puerto Rico on October 12, 1814. His remains are in the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista, in Puerto Rico.

Honors and recognitions

Arizmendi was immortalized by Puerto Rican artist

Jose Campeche Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

in a painting in 1803. Puerto Rico has honored Arizmendi's memory by naming schools and avenues after him. The

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

has an Institute of Historic Studies Juan Alejo de Arizmendi. The Catholic Church also has a medal called the "Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi Medal".

References

External links