The Cordova daily times., 1917-05-14
FATHER CR|MON7 HEAD ALASKA
 CHURCHES

The Very Rev. R. J. Crimont head of the Catholic church in Alaska, has received official confirmation of his appointment as bishop of Alaska. His consecration will be celebrated at Ju. neau within the next two or three months. Bishop Crmont's office since his appointment to the head of the church in Alaska in 1904 has been that of prefect-apOstolic. The Holy Father has raised the office to that of vicar-apostolic, and the holder be. comes a bishop. After his consecra- tion, the Very Rev. Crimont becomes the Right Rev. Crimont.
 The history of the development of the work of the Catholic church in Alaska presents one of the interest ing chapters in the territory's Ameri- can career. When Alaska became the property of the United States in 1867 it was by the Holy See a part of the diocese of Vancouver island (now Vic toria), and was several times visited by Bishop Seghers, then by his sue cessOr, Bishop J. B Beonwel.
 Before 1878 Wrangen and Sitka were visited occasionally by priests from Victoria. On November 23, 1878, F I Althoff woe orr,f,t,d F;ur4 ,-a sident priest, and on May 3. 1878, he established himself in Wrangell On July 17, 1882, he held services for the first time in Juneau, and in the late fall of 1886 he brought the Sisters of St Ann thither and established the hospital and later on the school. The pioneer sisters of those heroic days is still among us.
 On July 13, 1886, Archbishop Seg- hers, F. P, Fosi, II. A. Robant. S. J., left Victoria, and passing through Ju- neau, went to establish the first Ca tholic mission on the Yukon.
 On July 27, 1894, decree of the sovereign pontirf separated Alaska and the Aleutian islands from the iuris- diction of the bishop of Vancouver is land, and made that territory a sepa- rate administrative district to be gov erned by priest invested with epis- copal jurisdiction, and nominated a prefect apostolic
 Father Pascal Tosi was the first incumbent. He was succeeded by Fa- ther J. B. Rene, March 16, 1897. The third incumbent, Father R. J. Crimont, took up the office on March 2S, 1904.
 In recognotion of the present devel- opment of this Northland- and of the Catholic church'sl work within her borders, and in view of its greater future, the holy father raised the prefecture to the rank of vicariate, heneeforth to be governed by bishop.
 In a consistory held in the Vatican palace on March 22 1917, Pope Bene- dict XIV proclaimed the Very Rev. R. J. Crimont, titular bishop of Ammel- dera and vicar apostolic of Alaska.
 That the bishop-elect is eminently well fitted for the post, a brief sketch of his life will show.
 Born in 1859 in Picardy, France, he left home when about ten years old for the Jesuit college of Amiens. He entered the society of Jesus in 1875, at St. Acheul, and there underwent the usual two years spiritual training and two years review of literary studies Then came three years of philosophy.
 This long stretch of study was broken by an ocean voyage; for the missionary spirit had touched the young student and he had volunteered for Indian missions of our now great Northwest. Accordingly he came in 1886 to Woodstock, Maryland. After two years of theology he was there ordained a priest by Cardinal Gibbons, and spent two more years in complet ing his course of divinity.
 Several years of missionary activ- ity, particularly among the Crow h. dians, served as a training for more arduous work in Alaska, where we find him stationed from 1895 until his call to the presidency of Gonzaga col lege in October, 1901.
 The historian of Gonzaga relates that under the direction of Father Cri- mont the college made a marked ad- vance in scholarship - as the classi- cah programs of those days indicate in number of students and in official standing, for upon him, first of all the presidents of Gonzaga, was conferred the title of rector" Even material ly "Old Gonzaga" had just begun to expand, when in May. 1904. the kindly rector was ordered tO Alaska to cuc