Francis X. Prefontaine
Encyclopedia
Monsignor
Francis Xavier Prefontaine (French: François Xavier Préfontaine) (1838–1909) was a French Canadian
priest and missionary
, an early resident in the pioneer days of Seattle, Washington
, and a figure in the history of Seattle
and the Puget Sound region
of Washington State. He was Seattle’s first resident Roman Catholic priest and built Seattle’s first Catholic church.
near Montreal
, Canada in 1838, the eldest of five children in a French-speaking, devout Catholic family. His early education took place at parochial school
s and Nicolet College and he went on to study for the priesthood at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
in 1859. Within three weeks after his graduation and ordination
on November 20, 1863, he departed on a long sea voyage for Washington Territory
in the United States via the Isthmus of Panama
. He was never to return to his native Quebec.
in February 1864. In Vancouver he served under Augustin-Magloire Blanchet
, Bishop of the Diocese of Nesqually (now the Archdiocese of Seattle
) and a fellow French Canadian. Fr. Prefontaine spoke no English, so during his stay in Vancouver he studied English and also Chinook jargon
, a pidgin
trade language of the Pacific Northwest.
Bishop Blanchet assigned the young priest to a ministry at Fort Stevens
on the Oregon side of the mouth of the Columbia River
. During his trip out to this rainy and foggy coast
, he lost his way and had to spend a night out in the open. When he awoke in the morning he discovered that he had spent the night in an Indian burial ground.
, near Tacoma
. The bishop assigned him to such duties as saying mass
for the nuns and parishioners, providing for the education of the children, and supervising the building of several churches in the area. While he was in Steilacoom he met and worked with Mother Joseph
of the Sisters of Providence. She was a fellow French Canadian missionary, whose mission was also to build churches and schools.
. From there he journeyed around the entire territory, travelling in canoes with the Indians and sleeping in forests and stream banks. He ministered to the Indians and the white settlers, both Catholics and non-Catholics.
town and had only about 600 residents. Prefontaine counted only ten Catholics in the town and only three attended the first mass that he conducted. Bishop Blanchet warned Prefontaine that Seattle had little potential as a Catholic mission, but nevertheless, the bishop gave Prefontaine permission to establish a permanent parish there.
Prefontaine rented a small two-room house at Third Avenue and Yesler Way in Seattle for $6 per month to be used as a church as well as his living quarters. He converted one room to a small chapel so that he could conduct services there while working to raise funds to build a church. He held his first mass there on November 24, 1867.
, and Port Gamble
, eventually raising $2,000. Prefontaine purchased a plot of land near his house on Third Avenue and Washington Street and began construction of a small church there. He did most of the work himself, including clearing the land and constructing the building.
The plot of land that he purchased was heavily wooded and had to be cleared in order to build the church. Recalled Fr. Prefontaine in 1902:
Prefontaine may have hired the lumber baron Henry Yesler
to fell the trees on the land before building the church. Yesler was later to claim that he had supplied the lumber for Seattle’s first Catholic Church.
Prefontaine began construction of the church in the winter of 1868–69 and the church was completed and dedicated in the autumn of 1870.
The church was small: only 50′ × 25′ (15.2 ×7.6 m). After the church was completed, attendance at services increased rapidly and by 1882 the congregation of 300 had outgrown the small church. So Fr. Prefontaine once again set to work to remodel and enlarge the edifice at a cost of $16,000. The rebuilding of the church was nearly total: Only the belfry and spire of the old church were used in the rebuilt church. The new church was considerably larger: Inside dimensions were 35′ × 120′ (10.7 × 36.6 m), with seating for 700 parishioners. The new church was dedicated in May 1883. The priest’s home was in the basement of the church, where he lived for more than 20 years.
to care for sick people. He purchased an old soap factory at Fifth Avenue and Madison Street and persuaded the Sisters of Providence to come to Seattle and establish a hospital there.
In 1880 Fr. Prefontaine asked the Sisters of the Holy Name
to set up Catholic education for the children of Seattle. He purchased a plot of land at Second Avenue and Seneca Street for $6,800, and in that year the order established the Holy Names Academy
at that location. In his final years he served as chaplain
at the academy. The academy is still in operation in Seattle.
and enjoyed reading from his large library there.
Fr. Prefontaine was a secular priest
, which meant that he had not taken a vow of poverty. Thus he was able to accumulate property and wealth. His niece once stated that he had a “sound head for business” and “expensive tastes.” Over the years he bought and sold numerous properties and accumulated a comfortable fortune. When he died he left an estate worth over $33,000, which was a considerable sum of money in the early 20th century.
Fr. Prefontaine died in 1909 at the age of 70 years.
conferred on Fr. Prefontaine the honorary degree of protonotary apostolic
as a reward for his distinguished service in Seattle since 1869. He was invested with robes and the title of Monseigneur Member of the Papal Household (Monsignor
) by Bishop Edward John O'Dea
.
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Francis Xavier Prefontaine (French: François Xavier Préfontaine) (1838–1909) was a French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
priest and missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, an early resident in the pioneer days of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, and a figure in the history of Seattle
History of Seattle
This is the main article of a series that covers the history of Seattle, Washington, a city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America....
and the Puget Sound region
Puget Sound region
The Puget Sound region is an inland area of the Pacific Northwest in Washington , including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the Olympic Mountains.- History :...
of Washington State. He was Seattle’s first resident Roman Catholic priest and built Seattle’s first Catholic church.
Early life
François Xavier (Francis Xavier) Préfontaine was born Longueuil, QuebecLongueuil, Quebec
Longueuil is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly across from Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census totaled 229,330, making it the third largest city in...
near Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada in 1838, the eldest of five children in a French-speaking, devout Catholic family. His early education took place at parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s and Nicolet College and he went on to study for the priesthood at the Grand Seminary of Montreal
Grand séminaire de Montréal
The Grand séminaire de Montréal is the sacerdotal school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. The institution was founded by the sulpicians in 1840 on the demands of Ignace Bourget. A branch of Université Laval's faculty of theology was installed in the seminar in 1878...
in 1859. Within three weeks after his graduation and ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
on November 20, 1863, he departed on a long sea voyage for Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
in the United States via the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
. He was never to return to his native Quebec.
First mission
Fr. Prefontaine’s voyage finally brought him to Vancouver, WashingtonVancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
in February 1864. In Vancouver he served under Augustin-Magloire Blanchet
Augustin-Magloire Blanchet
Augustin Magloire Alexandre Blanchet was a French Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest who served as the first bishop of the now-defunct Diocese of Walla Walla and of the Diocese of Nesqually...
, Bishop of the Diocese of Nesqually (now the Archdiocese of Seattle
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
The Archdiocese of Seattle is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Seattle, the archdiocese encompasses all counties in the state west of the Cascade Range. Its cathedral is St. James Cathedral, and its present archbishop is J...
) and a fellow French Canadian. Fr. Prefontaine spoke no English, so during his stay in Vancouver he studied English and also Chinook jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
, a pidgin
Pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. It is most commonly employed in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different from the language of the...
trade language of the Pacific Northwest.
Bishop Blanchet assigned the young priest to a ministry at Fort Stevens
Fort Stevens (Oregon)
Fort Stevens was an American military installation that guarded the mouth of the Columbia River in the state of Oregon. Built near the end of the American Civil War, it was named for slain Civil War general and former Washington Territory governor, Isaac Stevens. The fort was an active military...
on the Oregon side of the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. During his trip out to this rainy and foggy coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
, he lost his way and had to spend a night out in the open. When he awoke in the morning he discovered that he had spent the night in an Indian burial ground.
Steilacoom
Upon completion of Prefontaine’s assignment at Fort Stevens, Bishop Blanchet sent him to Steilacoom, WashingtonSteilacoom, Washington
Steilacoom is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,985 at the 2010 census. Steilacoom is on the coast of Puget Sound, on a branch not visible on the map to the right...
, near Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. The bishop assigned him to such duties as saying mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
for the nuns and parishioners, providing for the education of the children, and supervising the building of several churches in the area. While he was in Steilacoom he met and worked with Mother Joseph
Mother Joseph
Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart, S.P., was born Esther Pariseau in Saint-Elzéar, Quebec, Canada...
of the Sisters of Providence. She was a fellow French Canadian missionary, whose mission was also to build churches and schools.
Port Townsend
In 1865 Bishop Blanchet divided the Puget Sound region of the diocese into two missions. The bishop assigned Prefontaine to the northern mission and he set up his headquarters in the only town that had a Catholic church, Port TownsendPort Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately north-northwest of Seattle . The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census an increase of 9.3% over the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County...
. From there he journeyed around the entire territory, travelling in canoes with the Indians and sleeping in forests and stream banks. He ministered to the Indians and the white settlers, both Catholics and non-Catholics.
Seattle
Fr. Prefontaine first landed in Seattle at what is now Pioneer Square and decided to set up a ministry there. At that time Seattle was a lumber-millSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
town and had only about 600 residents. Prefontaine counted only ten Catholics in the town and only three attended the first mass that he conducted. Bishop Blanchet warned Prefontaine that Seattle had little potential as a Catholic mission, but nevertheless, the bishop gave Prefontaine permission to establish a permanent parish there.
Prefontaine rented a small two-room house at Third Avenue and Yesler Way in Seattle for $6 per month to be used as a church as well as his living quarters. He converted one room to a small chapel so that he could conduct services there while working to raise funds to build a church. He held his first mass there on November 24, 1867.
The Church of Our Lady of Good Help
He asked permission from Bishop Blanchet to build a church in Seattle to support his mission. The bishop had believed that Seattle was a lost cause, but nevertheless he gave the priest permission to build a church as long as Prefontaine would raise the money for it himself and it would cost the diocese nothing. In order to raise money for the church, he held fairs in various towns around the Puget Sound area, including Seattle, OlympiaOlympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, and Port Gamble
Port Gamble, Washington
Port Gamble is an unincorporated community on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is also a small, similarly named bay, along which the community lies, near the entrance to Hood Canal. The unincorporated communities of Port Gamble and...
, eventually raising $2,000. Prefontaine purchased a plot of land near his house on Third Avenue and Washington Street and began construction of a small church there. He did most of the work himself, including clearing the land and constructing the building.
The plot of land that he purchased was heavily wooded and had to be cleared in order to build the church. Recalled Fr. Prefontaine in 1902:
Prefontaine may have hired the lumber baron Henry Yesler
Henry Yesler
Henry L. Yesler was an entrepreneur considered to be Seattle, Washington's first economic father and first millionaire. He arrived in Seattle in 1852 and built a steam-powered sawmill, which provided numerous jobs for those early settlers and Duwamish tribe members...
to fell the trees on the land before building the church. Yesler was later to claim that he had supplied the lumber for Seattle’s first Catholic Church.
Prefontaine began construction of the church in the winter of 1868–69 and the church was completed and dedicated in the autumn of 1870.
The church was small: only 50′ × 25′ (15.2 ×7.6 m). After the church was completed, attendance at services increased rapidly and by 1882 the congregation of 300 had outgrown the small church. So Fr. Prefontaine once again set to work to remodel and enlarge the edifice at a cost of $16,000. The rebuilding of the church was nearly total: Only the belfry and spire of the old church were used in the rebuilt church. The new church was considerably larger: Inside dimensions were 35′ × 120′ (10.7 × 36.6 m), with seating for 700 parishioners. The new church was dedicated in May 1883. The priest’s home was in the basement of the church, where he lived for more than 20 years.
Other work
In 1876 Fr. Prefontaine secured a contract from King CountyKing County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
to care for sick people. He purchased an old soap factory at Fifth Avenue and Madison Street and persuaded the Sisters of Providence to come to Seattle and establish a hospital there.
In 1880 Fr. Prefontaine asked the Sisters of the Holy Name
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is a teaching order founded at Longueuil, Québec, Canada in 1843 by Blessed Mother Marie-Rose for the Christian education of young girls.Their motto is: "Jésus et Marie, Ma Force et Ma Gloire" .Since 1843, the...
to set up Catholic education for the children of Seattle. He purchased a plot of land at Second Avenue and Seneca Street for $6,800, and in that year the order established the Holy Names Academy
Holy Names Academy
Holy Names Academy is a Catholic private all-girls college-preparatory high school located on the east slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill at 21st Avenue East between E. Aloha and E. Roy Streets. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, the school has been named a Blue Ribbon School by...
at that location. In his final years he served as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at the academy. The academy is still in operation in Seattle.
Final years
By 1900 Fr. Prefontaine’s health was declining and in 1901 his niece Marie Rose Pauze came to live with him and tend to him. He began to acquire tastes of a more secular nature, such as fine cigars and good whiskey. He retired 1903 and purchased a roomy three-story house on Capitol Hill near Volunteer ParkVolunteer Park (Seattle)
Volunteer Park is a 48.3 acre park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, USA.-History:Volunteer Park was acquired by the city of Seattle for $2,000 in 1876 from J.M. Colman...
and enjoyed reading from his large library there.
Fr. Prefontaine was a secular priest
Secular clergy
The term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or members of a religious order.-Catholic Church:In the Catholic Church, the secular clergy are ministers, such as deacons and priests, who do not belong to a religious order...
, which meant that he had not taken a vow of poverty. Thus he was able to accumulate property and wealth. His niece once stated that he had a “sound head for business” and “expensive tastes.” Over the years he bought and sold numerous properties and accumulated a comfortable fortune. When he died he left an estate worth over $33,000, which was a considerable sum of money in the early 20th century.
Fr. Prefontaine died in 1909 at the age of 70 years.
Monsignor
In July 1908 Pope Pius XPope 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...
conferred on Fr. Prefontaine the honorary degree of protonotary apostolic
Protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...
as a reward for his distinguished service in Seattle since 1869. He was invested with robes and the title of Monseigneur Member of the Papal Household (Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
) by Bishop Edward John O'Dea
Edward John O'Dea
Edward John O'Dea was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Seattle from 1896 until his death in 1932....
.
Namesakes
- In Seattle a short street named Prefontaine Place South on the site of his first church is named for Fr. Prefontaine.47.601375°N 122.329498°W
- On Prefontaine Place South stands the Prefontaine Building, a six-sided but nearly triangular building in the Beaux-Arts style, completed in 1909, the year of Fr. Prefontaine’s death.
- At the intersection of Third Avenue and Yesler Way, which is at the north end of Prefontaine Place South, just about at the site of his first house, stands a fountain inscribed with the name Francis X. Prefontaine. In his will he left the sum of $5,000 to the city “for a fountain in a public square”, although the fountain was not completed until 1925.47.601885°N 122.33078°W