Peter Verdaguer y Prat
Encyclopedia
Peter Verdaguer y Prat (Sant Pere de Torelló
, December 10, 1835 — Texas
, October 26, 1911) was a Spanish
-born prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville
from 1890 until his death in 1911.
, county of Osona
in Catalonia
, to Francisco Verdaguer and Maria Prat Verdaguer. He attended the seminaries
of Vic
and Barcelona
before coming to the United States
, where he completed his theological
studies at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau
, Missouri
. He was ordained
to the priesthood
by Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
on December 12, 1862. He then did pastoral work in the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles
, California
, serving as a missionary
and pastor
of San Bernardino
and in Los Angeles
.
On July 25, 1890, Verdaguer was appointed Vicar Apostolic
of Brownsville
, Texas
, and Titular Bishop
of Aulon by Pope Leo XIII
. He received his episcopal
consecration
on the following November 9 from Bishop Jaime Catalá y Albosa, with Bishops José Morgades y Gili and José Meseguer y Costa serving as co-consecrators
, in Barcelona. Returning to the United States, he arrived in his new vicariate the following spring. He then removed the episcopal see
from Corpus Christi
to Laredo
. He invited several religious orders
into the vicariate, including the Sisters of Mercy
, Claretians
, and Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
. He opened two hospital
s, several churches and parochial school
s, and an orphanage
. He also increased the number of Catholics by 40,000, and the number of priests from 10 to 32.
Verdaguer later died while traveling to Mercedes
for Confirmation
ceremonies, aged 75. He is buried at Laredo Catholic Cemetery.
Sant Pere de Torelló
Sant Pere de Torelló is a municipality in the comarca of Osona inCatalonia, Spain.-References:* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria . Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 . ISBN 84-87135-02-1 ....
, December 10, 1835 — Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, October 26, 1911) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
-born prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
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 Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville
Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on March 23, 1912.The past bishops of the diocese are:*Dominic Manucy *Peter Verdaguer y Prat...
from 1890 until his death in 1911.
Biography
Peter Verdaguer y Prat was born in Sant Pere de TorellóSant Pere de Torelló
Sant Pere de Torelló is a municipality in the comarca of Osona inCatalonia, Spain.-References:* Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria . Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-01-3 . ISBN 84-87135-02-1 ....
, county of Osona
Osona
County of Osona was one of the Catalan counties of the Marca Hispanica in the Early and High Middle Ages. It was based around the capital city of Vic and the corresponding diocese, whose territory was roughly the current comarca of Osona....
in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, to Francisco Verdaguer and Maria Prat Verdaguer. He attended the seminaries
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...
of Vic
Vic
Vic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...
and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
before coming to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he completed his theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
studies at St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
, 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...
. 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....
by Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, C.M. was a Roman Catholic cleric who eventually became Bishop of Los Angeles, California.- Birth and Early Career:Amat was born in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, Spain on December 31, 1810. He was ordained a priest of the religious order of the Congregation of the...
on December 12, 1862. He then did pastoral work in the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, serving as a 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...
and pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
and in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
On July 25, 1890, Verdaguer was appointed Vicar Apostolic
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
of Brownsville
Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on March 23, 1912.The past bishops of the diocese are:*Dominic Manucy *Peter Verdaguer y Prat...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 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 Aulon by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. He received his episcopal
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....
consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on the following November 9 from Bishop Jaime Catalá y Albosa, with Bishops José Morgades y Gili and José Meseguer y Costa 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 Barcelona. Returning to the United States, he arrived in his new vicariate the following spring. He then removed the episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
from Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
to Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
. He invited several religious orders
Roman Catholic religious order
Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular ; monastics ; mendicants Catholic religious orders are, historically, a category of Catholic religious institutes.Subcategories are canons regular (canons and canonesses regular...
into the vicariate, including the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
, Claretians
Claretians
The Claretians, a community of Roman Catholic priests and brothers, were founded by Saint Anthony Claret in 1849. They strive to follow their founder's “on fire” example and help wherever they are needed. Their ministries are highly diverse and vary depending on the needs of the area. They focus...
, and Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the name of two Roman Catholic religious orders based in the state of Texas.- Houston Order :...
. He opened two hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s, several churches and 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 an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
. He also increased the number of Catholics by 40,000, and the number of priests from 10 to 32.
Verdaguer later died while traveling to Mercedes
Mercedes, Texas
Mercedes is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,570 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mercedes is located at ....
for Confirmation
Confirmation (Catholic Church)
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church....
ceremonies, aged 75. He is buried at Laredo Catholic Cemetery.