Jean-Baptiste Salpointe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Excellency, The Most Reverend Jean-Baptiste Salpointe |
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| Archbishop of Santa Fe | |
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| Archdiocese | Santa Fe |
| In Office | July 18, 1885 – January 7, 1894 |
| Predecessor | Jean-Baptiste Lamy |
| Successor | Placide Louis Chapelle |
| Other posts | Vicar General of the Arizona Missions (1864–1868) Bishop of Arizona Territory (1868–1885) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 20 December 1851 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 February 1825 Saint-Maurice-près-Pionsat, Puy-de-Dôme, France |
| Died | 15 July 1898 (aged 73) Tucson, Arizona, United States |
Jean-Baptiste Salpointe was an important religious leader who lived from 1825 to 1898. He became the first Bishop of Arizona and later the second Archbishop of Santa Fe. He helped build churches and schools in the American Southwest.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jean-Baptiste Salpointe was born in a small town in France called Saint-Maurice-près-Pionsat. His parents were Jean and Jeanne Salpointe. He went to school in Agen and studied important subjects like history and literature at the College of Clermont.
Later, he studied philosophy and theology at the Theological Seminary of Montferrand. In 1851, he officially became a priest. Eight years later, in 1859, he decided to travel to the New Mexico Territory in the United States. He wanted to work there as a missionary.
Work in the Southwestern United States
In 1860, Father Salpointe started working in a town called Mora, New Mexico. He stayed there for six years. The area he was responsible for, called his parish, was huge! It stretched over 200 miles from north to south.
He did a great job helping the community in Mora. He convinced two important groups to come to the parish. These were the Sisters of Loretto and the De La Salle Christian Brothers. They helped set up schools for children in the area.
Helping Arizona Territory
In August 1864, the Bishop of Santa Fe, Jean-Baptiste Lamy, learned something important. The priests in Arizona had left, and the Arizona Territory was without religious leaders. So, Bishop Lamy asked Salpointe to become the main religious leader for the Arizona Missions. This new role was called Vicar General.
On February 7, 1866, Salpointe arrived in Tucson, Arizona. He brought two other priests from Santa Fe with him. At that time, Arizona had about 6,000 settlers. There were also several mining camps and many Native Americans living there.
Salpointe worked hard to build new churches and organize new groups of worshippers. He also helped start schools and hospitals in the territory. He played a big part in finishing the San Agustin Church in Tucson. This church became the first cathedral in what was then the Arizona Territory. In 1868, the Church made Arizona a special area called a Vicariate Apostolic. Salpointe was chosen to be its first bishop.
Becoming Archbishop of Santa Fe
On February 19, 1885, Bishop Salpointe received a new appointment. He was asked to become an assistant to Archbishop Lamy in Santa Fe. He continued to manage the Arizona area until a new bishop, Peter Bourgade, was appointed in early 1885.
After Archbishop Lamy retired, Salpointe took his place. He became the Archbishop of Santa Fe on July 18, 1885.
Retirement and Legacy
Archbishop Salpointe retired on January 7, 1894. He then moved back to Tucson, Arizona. While in Tucson, he wrote a book about the history of the Catholic Church in the Southwestern United States.
Salpointe passed away on July 15, 1898. He is buried under the altar of St. Augustine Cathedral in Tucson. Today, Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson is named in his honor. This shows how much he is still remembered for his important work.
