The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-01-31
Bishop(rimoni To Celebrate S7th Birthday
Aged PreIdte Has Spent Over Fifty Years
 in Alaska


 cellency, the Most Rev. Joseph Raphael Crimont, Roman Catholic Bishop of Alaska, will celebrate his eighty-seventh birthday and his fifty-first year in the Territory
 In those early days in Alaska travel was entirely by dogsled and hard journeys were made by this conveyance between the scattered mission posts. It was very diff ferent country than that of his boyhood home in Amiens, France
 In 1875. young Crimont entered the novitate of St. Acheul, neal Amiens. Due to ill health he could not complete his studies and was forced to drop out of classes for g time. For time it was feared that the aspiring young missionary would not live.
 In Belgium
 After his health improved, ht was employed by the Jesuits a Liege, in Belgium. That same veal the college received visit from Bishop Charles John Seghers, who was shot to death by Frank Fuller believed to be insane, November 27 1886. near Nulato.
 It was Bishop Seghers who tolc young Crimont about Alaska. He had already made one trip to the country and was about to make the second, from which he neva re- turned. .n From 1884 to 1886 BrotADr Cri. mont studied at St. Heller On the Island of Jersey, as the French Government had closed the reli- ,gious communities in France forcing the religious to seek pro- lection under the English flag.
 There Brother Crimont signed up for missionary work and, leaving Europe, went to Woodstock, Mary land where, after further study he was ordained a priest August 25, 1888.
 Comes To Alaska
 After ordination he became q missionary to the Crow Indians il Montana, and in 1894 he was sent to Holy Cross Mission. Alaska. Ex. cept for one year. spent at Nulato he had charge of that mission then for seven years, the whole oi Alaska Missions. Coming down witt rheumatism, he was sent to tn, states to recover.
 For three years he was presiden of Gonzaga University in Spokane Wash, but in 1904 he resigned tc come back to Alaska. He was ap- pointed Prefect Apostolic and went to the Interior. He established 2 mission at Fairbanks, the new thriving settlement on the bank of the Cinema, at this time. On July 25, 1917, he was conse. crated Bishop of Alaska in St James Cathedral, Seattle. Up to few years ago, Bishol Crimont travelled regularly to tn, missions, sometimes electing tt go by dog team instead of by tn, more modern means-the airplan, -in order to save scarce mission funds.
 Assistant
 l Assisting him today in the mis sioh work is Co-adjutor Bishoy Walter J. Fitzgerald. with head quarters in Fairbanks.
 On September 10 1885, jubile, banquet was held in the Parisf Hall in Juneau to pay homage t, Bishop Crimont on the occasion of his Goth year in religious life AZ of which had been spent il Alaska.
 ] Two hundred and fifteen guest were present. The late Governo John w. Troy, in these words paid tribute to the Bishop: |" have often said if there were onl, one Christian gentleman in al this Territory, that one is Bisho, Crimont."
 Concluding, he said Tt is tn common wish of Alaskans every. where, Bishop Crimont, that VOL might live many, many years tt --------------------------