Casimir Wicart

Casimir Wicart (born March 4, 1799 in Méteren , † April 8, 1879 in Laval ) was a French Roman Catholic clergyman and bishop .

life and career

Priest and vicar general

Alexis-Casimir-Joseph Wicart grew up 30 km northwest of Lille (in the then diocese of Cambrai ). He was ordained a priest in 1821 and was pastor of an old town in Lille for thirteen years. Archbishop Pierre Giraud made him vicar general , but in 1845 he was appointed to the bishopric of Fréjus .

Bishop of Fréjus

The able northern French of authoritarian character and with a great sense of order met the Mediterranean mentality of his priests there, which he quickly turned against himself, whereas the state authority (1849-1850 under Prefect Haussmann ) was weighted to him. He called the Oblates of the Immaculate Virgin Mary to his diocese to lead the seminary . He made a name for himself in the 1849 cholera epidemic in Toulon . He resided in Toulon for several months a year and obtained from the government and the Pope that from 1853 he could call himself "Bishop of Fréjus and Toulon". When he was appointed the first bishop of the Laval diocese in 1855 , he left Fréjus without any farewell address. His work in the diocese of Fréjus was recognized there much later.

Bishop of Laval

In the newly created diocese of Laval, which he visited five times in its entirety, the development task corresponded to his abilities. Most important to him was the competence of the clergy, who had to undergo regular examinations. He built a seminary and an ordinariate and took part in the First Vatican Council . In 1872 he recognized the authenticity of the apparition of the Virgin Mary at Pontmain . In 1876 he retired from his office. He died in 1879 after a long illness at the age of 80 and was buried in Laval Cathedral.

Motto and honors

Wicart's episcopal motto was: Absit gloriari nisi in Cruce (I only want to boast of the cross of Jesus Christ). He was an officer in the Legion of Honor . His (kneeling) bronze statue has been in Laval Cathedral since 1898. A blackboard bears the dates of life.

literature

• Louis Porte: Histoire du diocèse de Fréjus-Toulon . Editions du Lau 2017, pp. 124–129.
• Étienne-Louis Couanier de Launay: Vie de Mgr C. Wicart, premier évêque de Laval, et histoire de l'érection de cet évêché . Chailland, Laval 1888.

Web links

• Information on Casimir Wicart in the database of the Bibliothèque nationale de France .
• Literature by and about Casimir Wicart in the SUDOC catalog (Association of French University Libraries)
• Short biography , French
• Entry in catholic-hierarchy.org
• Statue of Wicart in Laval Cathedral