Alexis-Armand Charost
Encyclopedia
Alexis-Armand Charost was a French
Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Archbishop of Rennes from 1921 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1922.
, and studied at the seminary
in Le Mans, Pontifical French Seminary
in Rome
, and Catholic University of Angers
. He was ordained
to the priesthood
on May 19, 1883, and then taught at the School of Sainte-Croix
until 1892. Charost served as director
of the Internship of Notre Dame de la Couture in Le Mans from 1892 to 1894, whence he became secretary
to Archbishop Guillaume Labouré
. He was later made titular
canon
of the cathedral
chapter
of Rennes
in 1899, and vicar general
and director of secondary studies
of the same in 1909.
On February 14, 1913, Charost was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Cambrai
and Titular Bishop
of Milopotamus by Pope Pius X
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following May 13 from Archbishop Auguste Dubourg
, with Bishops François-Marie-Joseph Delamaire and Olivier de Durfort de Civbac serving as co-consecrators
, in the metropolitan cathedral of Rennes.
Charost was later named the first Bishop of Lille on November 21 of that same year, and served as acting Chancellor
of the Catholic University of Lille
in 1915, rising to become full Chancellor in 1919. During World War I
, he encouraged the Catholics under his jurisdiction to practice passive resistance
against the German Empire
, who had occupied Lille; the Bishop also protested the Germans' actions to Cardinal Felix von Hartmann. On June 15, 1920, he was promoted to Coadjutor Archbishop
of Rennes and Titular Archbishop of Chersonesus in Zechia. Charost later succeeded Cardinal Dubourg as Archbishop of Rennes upon the latter's death on September 22, 1921.
Pope Pius XI
created him Cardinal Priest
of S. Maria della Vittoria
in the consistory
of December 11, 1922. Charost served as papal legate
to the centennial celebrations in honor of Cardinal Charles Lavigerie
in Algiers
on August 25, 1925, to the fiftieth anniversary of the Catholic University of Lille
on March 14, 1927, and to the celebrations in honor of St. Thérèse de Lisieux
in Lisieux
on September 15, 1929.
The Cardinal died in Rennes, at age 69. He is buried in the Cathedral of Rennes.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Archbishop of Rennes from 1921 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in 1922.
Biography
Alexis Charost was born in Le MansLe Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, and studied at the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Le Mans, Pontifical French Seminary
Pontifical French Seminary
The Pontifical French Seminary is one of the Roman Colleges dedicated to training Roman Catholic priests.-History:...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and Catholic University of Angers
Université Catholique de l'Ouest
The Catholic University of the West is a university located in Angers, France.- History :Early in the 11th century this school became famous under the direction of Marbodus, later Bishop of Rennes, and of Ulger, later Bishop of Angers, both pupils of the renowned canonist, Fulbert de Chartres...
. He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on May 19, 1883, and then taught at the School of Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix is the name or part of the name of several places:-In France:*Sainte-Croix, Ain, in the Ain département*Sainte-Croix, Aisne, in the Aisne département*Sainte-Croix, Aveyron, in the Aveyron département...
until 1892. Charost served as director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the Internship of Notre Dame de la Couture in Le Mans from 1892 to 1894, whence he became secretary
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
to Archbishop Guillaume Labouré
Guillaume-Marie-Joseph Labouré
Guillaume-Marie-Joseph Labouré was a French archbishop and Cardinal.Born in Achiet-le-Petit, he studied at Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris and was ordained to the Priesthood on September 23, 1865...
. He was later made titular
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
of Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
in 1899, and vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
and director of secondary studies
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
of the same in 1909.
On February 14, 1913, Charost was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Cambrai
Archdiocese of Cambrai
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cambrai is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France, comprising the arrondissements of Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Cambrai, Douai, and Valenciennes within the département of Nord, in the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The current archbishop is...
and Titular Bishop
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 Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Milopotamus by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following May 13 from Archbishop Auguste Dubourg
Auguste-René-Marie Dubourg
Auguste-René-Marie Dubourg was a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Rennes from 1906 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1916.-Biography:...
, with Bishops François-Marie-Joseph Delamaire and Olivier de Durfort de Civbac serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, in the metropolitan cathedral of Rennes.
Charost was later named the first Bishop of Lille on November 21 of that same year, and served as acting Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the Catholic University of Lille
University of Lille
The original university in the Lille region of France was the University of Douai established in 1559 in Douai and that was moved to Lille in 1887.University campuses in the Academy of Lille are members of the Université Lille Nord de France and European Doctoral College Lille Nord-Pas de...
in 1915, rising to become full Chancellor in 1919. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he encouraged the Catholics under his jurisdiction to practice passive resistance
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
against the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, who had occupied Lille; the Bishop also protested the Germans' actions to Cardinal Felix von Hartmann. On June 15, 1920, he was promoted to Coadjutor Archbishop
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 Rennes and Titular Archbishop of Chersonesus in Zechia. Charost later succeeded Cardinal Dubourg as Archbishop of Rennes upon the latter's death on September 22, 1921.
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
created him Cardinal Priest
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of S. Maria della Vittoria
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Santa Maria della Vittoria is a roman catholic titular church and minor basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary located in Rome, Italy. The church is known for the masterpiece of Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa....
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of December 11, 1922. Charost served as papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
to the centennial celebrations in honor of Cardinal Charles Lavigerie
Charles Lavigerie
Charles Martial Allemand Lavigerie was a French cardinal, archbishop of Carthage and Algiers and primate of Africa.Born at Bayonne, he was educated at St Sulpice, Paris...
in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
on August 25, 1925, to the fiftieth anniversary of the Catholic University of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
on March 14, 1927, and to the celebrations in honor of St. Thérèse de Lisieux
Thérèse de Lisieux
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux , or Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, born Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin, was a French Carmelite nun...
in Lisieux
Lisieux
Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Lisieux is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland...
on September 15, 1929.
The Cardinal died in Rennes, at age 69. He is buried in the Cathedral of Rennes.