Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-11-04
THE BISHOP
IS NO MORE
After an illness of But a Few Days
Bishop Brondel OF the Helena
Diocese Passes Away.
HIS LIFE AND HIS GREAT WORK
Been in Montana Since 1883-Growth
of the Church While Under His
Mnistrations.

Rev. Father vermaat yesterday
morning received a message from
Helena announcing the death of Bish-
op Baptist Brondel, the end coming at
$3.50 a. m. According to the message
received by Father Vermaat the burial
will take place in Helena Friday
morning. The Father, accompanied
by Sisters Lenaid and Ormanne, left
this morning for Helena to partici-
pate in the funeral and burial ser.
vices. The death of the bishop came
as great surprise to the Catholics
in Lewistown, as no intimation of ev-
en- a slight illness had been received
here. He was to have come TO Lewis
town next week to dedicate the new
Sisters hall, which is now being con-
structed. Father Day, of Helena, will
be the administrator of the diocese
until the new bishop is appointed.
John b. Brondel was born in old,
quaint and thoroughly Catholic Bru-
ges, in the province OF West Fland.
ers, Belgium, February %, 1912, and
received his first instruction from the
Xaverian Brothers, community that
had been recently established in his
native city. After ten years given to
his Latin course in the College of st.
Louis. he having chosen to devote
himself to the missions of North Amer.
lea, entered the American College at
Louvain. and there studied philosophy
and divinity. He was raised to the
priesthood at Mechlin by His Emi.
nence Cardinal Sterckx, December II,
1864, and having been received by the
Right Rev. A. NJ. A. Blanchet for the
Diocese of Nesqually, Washington, he
set out for his destination by the way
of Panama, reaching Vancouver on All
Hallow Eve, 1866. After uniting here
for some time the duties of a profes.
sor with those of a missioner, he was
stationed for about ten years at Steil.
accom-, on Puget Sound, whittier he
returned subsequently to a few years
residence at Walla Wa'la. and. during
his pastorship there, erected churches
at Olympia and Tacoma. While faith
fully attending to his missionary du
ties on the Sound, he was elected
Bishop of Victoria, Vancouver Island
and received his conservation at the
hands of the Most Rev. Archbishop
Seghers, December IA, 1879. On the
7th of April. 1888, he was appointed
administrator of Montana, where he
was also to reside, retaining In the
meanwhile his former title of Bishop
of Vancouver. He reacned his new
field early that summer and commenc
ed his apostolic labors by first visit
ing the western part Of the state.
The Bulls of his appointment were
received by him while at Butte on
July End, the Feast of the Visitation
of our Blessed Lady, who "Abiit in
montana cum destinations" These
words had been quoted to Bishop
Brondel by the Archbishop of Oregon
Charles j. Seghers, who had urged
hmi by letter to leave Vancouver Is
land and hasten, in imitation of the
Blessed Mother of God, to Montana
Allusion to the same words was also
made by Cardinal Simeoni, Prefect
of Propaganda, at Rome, who, referr
ing one day to Bishop Brondels new
appointment, remarked to DR.. Schulz
the Protector of the American Col
lege. Administrator Montanensis
abiit in montana cum destinations"
In August he came over to the cas-,
side. continuing the visitation of the
rest of the Vicariate, and, shortly af
ter, having chosen this city for his
permanent residence, the jesuit Faith
ers made over to him their church
and premises and whatever property
was in their name on Catholic Hill
While by this timely and most com
mendable arrangement on their part
the Fathers facilitated and hastenet
the erection of the new BishOpric, they
were thus also instrumental In Hell
ena becoming the Episcopal See ant
giving the name as well to the new
Diocese. This honor was conferred
on Helena by Leo XIII. on the 7th o
March, 1884, the date of the erection
of the See and of the appointment Il
il of John B. Brondel as its first Bish
op.
When the Bishop came to the ter
ritory of Montana there were twelv,
Jesuit Fathers and four secular
priests. There are thirty-two church
es with resident priests and thirty
three missions with churches, making
a total of sixty-fve churches in tn
state. There are 236 Sisters, sever
academies for young ladies, nine par
ochial schools with 1000 pupils, on
orphan asylum, which furnishes
a home for 165 orphans, one industri
al and reform school with thirty In
mates. eight hospitals and 10000 Cath
olics in Montana.
Helena. Nov. fright Rev. John Z
BrondeI, bishop of the diocese of He
ena. is seriously i'll at st. Johns hos
pital. His recovery Is not expecte
and this afternoon the sacrament @
the dying was administered to hin
Throughout the day he had short pei
iods of consciousness. II is possibl
that he may yet linger several day!
although this is considered improl
able.
Bishop Brondel's condition becam
serious only yesterday morning. fo
some time previous he had been a
fiicted with chronic bronchitis brougt
on by a severe cold and he experien'
ed considerable difficulty in breatl
ing. Saturday he became worse an
was removed from his residence [
the hospital. DIR. William Treacy. VIII
is attending the distinguished patien
stated last night that the bishop wa
suffering from odema of the lungs an
also odema of the brain. In additio
to this there are complications resul