Jean-Théodore Laurent
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Jean-Théodore Laurent (; 6 July 1804 – 20 February 1884) was the Apostolic Vicar of Luxembourg from 1841 to 1856.


Biography

Laurent was born in 1804 in
Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...
to a family of modest means. His father, the Luxembourger Franz Laurent, had 14 children with his wife Gertrude Schönen, originally from Aachen. After attending a '' Gymnasium'' in Aachen, Laurent studied
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
for two years in
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. As he disliked the lectures by Professor Georg Hermes, he moved to the
diocese of Liège In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
, where he continued his studies in the
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
. Here he was ordained a priest on 14 March 1829. From 1829 to 1835 he was a vicar in
Heerlen Heerlen (; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the f ...
, and from 1835 to 1839 worked as a parson in Gemmenich in Belgium, near
Plombières Plombières (; or ''Bleiberg'', ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2006, Plombières had a total population of 10,401. The total area is 53.17 km2 which gives a population density ...
. During this period the
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church controversy was escalating, in which he was involved through his own writings, and in which he took the side of the founder of the ''Aachener Priesterkreis'' and ultramontanist, Leonhard Aloys Joseph Nellessen, arguing against the tenets of Hermesianism. The Leuven Professor Karl Möller and the Nuntius in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Raffaele Fornari, were friends with Laurent, and on 17 September 1839 he was appointed Apostolic Vicar of the Nordic Missions 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
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in
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. He was consecrated on 27 December 1839 in Liège. As Laurent was rejected by the
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n government due to his position during the church controversy, his appointment was untenable, and he asked to be relieved of his office on 15 November 1840. Until then, he had resided in Aachen. On 1 December 1841 he was appointed successor to the outgoing Apostolic Vicar of Luxembourg, Johann Theodor van der Noot, who formally retired on 20 February 1842.Jules Vannérus, "Van der Noot (Jean-Théodore)", ''
Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' (; ) 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 ''Nouvelle Biographie Nationale'' (, ...
''
vol. 26
(Brussels, 1938), 373-374.
The appointment was initially kept a secret at the wish of Grand Duke William II of Luxembourg (who was also King of the Netherlands in
personal union A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
). Confrontations ensued between Laurent, oriented towards Rome, and the liberal Luxembourgish government. Laurent, more reckless than diplomatic, made efforts to establish a seminary, a regulated parish system, and to strengthen church influence in the schools. During the Revolution of 1848-1849, false accusations were levelled against the Bishop, and the government increasingly agitated for his dismissal. He finally left Luxembourg on 1 May 1848. Numerous pleas from e.g. the Dutch King, still did not lead the government to soften their tone. In the end, Laurent submitted his resignation on 2 June 1856, at the request of Pope
Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
. This was accepted on 10 July 1856, and the Luxembourgish government agreed to award him a pension. On 20 May 1856, there had been a formal statement in Luxembourg which rehabilitated the Bishop. In Aachen, he lived with his brother, the city archivist and librarian Josef Laurent, and was involved in the foundation of several monasteries, specifically that of the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus, of which he was the spiritual director and in whose church he often preached. In 1879 he followed them to
Simpelveld Simpelveld (; ) is a municipality and a town in the southeastern Netherlands. It is part of the municipal cooperative unit Parkstad Limburg. Simpelveld is part of the ''Mergelland'', named after the presence of chalk (mergel), hill country popu ...
, as they had to go into exile during the ''Kulturkampf'', and functioned as their resident cleric. Here he died in 1884; his grave is in the cemetery of the Sisters. Laurent was a complicated person and characterised by a certain imbalance. Guided in his actions by feelings and moods, he followed his sympathies and antipathies, and could appear spontaneous and energetic in his statements. At other times, he was filled with melancholy and gloom. In matters concerning the Catholic Church, however, he was always full of energy, without compromise, and always ready for a fight. He saw himself as the warrior of an orthodox faith, rejecting anything that hinted of Hermesianism. Equipped with his great theological knowledge, he was however less of a scholar, than an agitator and attacker. His bravery, sincerity and devoutness also brought respect from his opponents.


References


External links


''Kampf um die apostolischen Vikare des Nordens J.Th. Laurent und C.A. Lüpke'' (biography)
* Hellinghausen, Georges
"War Bischof Laurent ein Revolutionär? Kirche und Revolution 1848"
(in German). ''Forum'' 185 (July 1998). p. 35-38

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurent, Jean-Theodore 1804 births 1884 deaths Apostolic vicars of Luxembourg People from Aachen