Peter Paul Lefevere
Encyclopedia
Peter Paul Lefevere, or Lefebre, born as Pierre-Paul Lefevere (April 30, 1804 – March 4, 1869), was a 19th century Belgian born bishop
of the Catholic Church in the United States
. He was a missionary priest in the states of Missouri
, Illinois
and Iowa
before he served as coadjutor bishop
of the Diocese of Detroit
in the state of Michigan
from 1841-1869.
(French
: Roulers), West Flanders, Belgium
to Charles and Albertine (Muylle) Lefevere. He was educated in Paris
at the Lazarist seminary, and left for the United States in 1828 where he completed his studies for the priesthood at The Barrens in Perryville, Missouri
. He was ordained a priest in St. Louis, Missouri
by Bishop Joseph Rosati
in 1831. His first appointment was to New Madrid, Missouri
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.
. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops John England of Charleston
and John Joseph Hughes of New York
. Bishop Frederick Rese
had become incapacitated for unspecified reasons and was removed from Detroit, but he retained the title of Bishop of Detroit until his death in 1871. 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.
This was a period of growth for the Catholic Church in Michigan. When Lefevere arrived in Detroit the diocese covered the state of Michigan and the Wisconsin Territory
. There were two parishes in the city and 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
were the first order to staff a parish. He established St. Thomas Seminary, most likely in his own home. With Bishop Martin Spalding of Louisville
, 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. 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.
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
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 Half-Breeds in his diocese. He was an advocate of the Temperance Movement
, especially among Native Americans.
Lefevere died in Detroit at the age of 64 after serving the Diocese of Detroit for 28 years. He is buried in Saints Peter and Paul Church, which he had consecrated as his cathedral in 1848.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Catholic Church in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was a missionary priest in the states of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
before he served as coadjutor bishop
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
of the Diocese of Detroit
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne...
in the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
from 1841-1869.
Early Life & Ministry
Lefevere was born in RoeselareRoeselare
Roeselare 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....
(French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Roulers), West Flanders, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to Charles and Albertine (Muylle) Lefevere. He was educated in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the Lazarist seminary, and left for the United States in 1828 where he completed his studies for the priesthood at The Barrens in Perryville, Missouri
Perryville, Missouri
Perryville is a city in Perry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,667 at the 2000 census. The 2008 estimated population is 8,172. It is the county seat of Perry County.-Governance:...
. He was ordained a priest in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
by Bishop Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati was a U.S. Catholic bishop. He served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843....
in 1831. His first appointment was to New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid, Missouri
New Madrid is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, 42 miles south by west of Cairo, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. New Madrid was founded in 1788 by American frontiersmen. In 1900, 1,489 people lived in New Madrid, Missouri; in 1910, the population was 1,882. The population was 3,334 at...
but was transferred after a few months to Salt River
Salt River Township, Adair County, Missouri
Salt River Township is one of ten townships in Adair County, Missouri, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,046.-Geography:Salt River Township covers an area of and contains one incorporated settlement, Brashear...
. 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 he was in Rome Pope Gregory XVI named him titular bishop of Zela and coadjutor bishop of Detroit on July 23, 1841. He returned to the United States and was consecrated on November 21, 1841 by Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick of PhiladelphiaRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. The diocese was...
. The principal co-consecrators were Bishops John England of Charleston
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States and comprises the entire state of South Carolina, with Charleston as its see city. Currently, the diocese consists of 92 parishes and 24 missions...
and John Joseph Hughes of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
. Bishop Frederick Rese
Frederick Rese
Frederick Rese was an American Roman Catholic bishop who served as the first Catholic bishop of diocese of Detroit from 1833 to 1837....
had become incapacitated for unspecified reasons and was removed from Detroit, but he retained the title of Bishop of Detroit until his death in 1871. 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.
This was a period of growth for the Catholic Church in Michigan. When Lefevere arrived in Detroit the diocese covered the state of Michigan and the Wisconsin Territory
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
. There were two parishes in the city and 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
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
were the first order to staff a parish. He established St. Thomas Seminary, most likely in his own home. With Bishop Martin Spalding of Louisville
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville consists of twenty-four counties in Central Kentucky, USA, covering . It is the seat of the Metropolitan Province of Louisville, which comprises the states of Kentucky and Tennessee...
, 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
Saints Peter and Paul Church, Detroit, Michigan
The Saints Peter And Paul Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 629 East Jefferson Ave in Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest existing church in the city of Detroit, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.-...
in Detroit, which became his cathedral. 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.
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
Plenary Councils of Baltimore
The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Roman Catholic bishops in the 19th century in Baltimore, Maryland.During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the dioceses were part of one ecclesiastical province under the Archbishop 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
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are a Catholic teaching order for women. It is divided among three separate congregations. The original community of the order is headquartered in Monroe, Michigan. The Mother house currently houses more than 400 sisters, more than 100 of which...
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 Half-Breeds in his diocese. He was an advocate of the Temperance Movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
, especially among Native Americans.
Lefevere died in Detroit at the age of 64 after serving the Diocese of Detroit for 28 years. He is buried in Saints Peter and Paul Church, which he had consecrated as his cathedral in 1848.