Louis-Désiré Maigret, SS.CC. (September 14, 1804 – June 11, 1882), served as the first vicar apostolic of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands, now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.[1] Born in Saint-Pierre-de-Maillé, France, Maigret was ordained to the priesthood as a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on September 23, 1828, at the age of 24. As part of his missionary work, Father Maigret sailed to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi to help build its Catholic community of native Hawaiians.
The Most Reverend Louis-Désiré Maigret SS.CC. | |
|---|---|
| Vicar Apostolic of Sandwich Islands | |
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| Church | Roman Catholic |
| See | Titular Bishop of Arad |
| Appointed | 11 September 1846 |
| In office | 1846-1882 |
| Predecessor | Etienne Jerome Rouchouze |
| Successor | Herman Koeckemann |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 23 September 1828 |
| Consecration | 31 October 1847 by José Hilarión Etrura Cevallos |
| Rank | Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 14, 1804 |
| Died | June 11, 1882 (aged 77) |
| Nationality | French |
| Coat of arms |  |
The diocese sent him as a missionary to Pohnpei, now in Micronesia, in December 1837 on the schooner Notre Dame de Paix. He was the first missionary ever seen there. In his company were "several Mangarevans and Tahitians," some of whom remained on Pohnpei and left descendants.[2] He departed on 29 July 1838 for Valparaiso after seven unsuccessful months.[3]
When the Vicar Apostolic of Oriental Oceania, Msgr. Étienne Rouchouze, SS.CC., was lost at sea on board the ill-fated Marie Joseph in early 1843, the Holy See appointed Father Maigret as the first vicar apostolic of the Sandwich Islands[4] on September 11, 1846, at the age of 42. He was officially ordained as a bishop of the titular see of Arathia (Arad) on November 28, 1847, at the age of 43.[3] Bishop Maigret oversaw the construction of what would become his most lasting legacy, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
Maigret ordained Father Damien de Veuster in Honolulu cathedral in May 1864.[5] He supported Damien in his work with lepers.[6]
After his death, Maigret was entombed in the crypt below the sanctuary.
References
edit- ^ "Bishop Louis-Désiré Maigret, SS.CC". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- ^ Riesenberg, Saul H (1968). The Native Polity of Ponape. Contributions to Anthropology. Vol. 10. Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 38, 51. ISBN 9780598442437. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
- ^ a b Bunson, Maggie. Faith in Paradise. Boston: St. Paul Publishing. 1977, pp. 43, 65
- ^ Encyclopedia.com website, Hawaii, The Catholic Church In
- ^ Catholic Hawai'i website, Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu, article published in the Hawaii Catholic Herald, Volume 68, No. 16, July 15, 2005
- ^ Catholic Truth Society website, Father Damien’s Extraordinary Sacrifice, article by John S Hogan, May 9th 2023