Victor-Joseph Doutreloux

Victor-Joseph Doutreloux (born May 18, 1837 in Chênée near Liège, † August 20, 1901 in Liège ) was a Belgian clergyman and from 1879 to 1901 Bishop of Liège .

Life

Victor-Joseph Doutreloux was born the seventh child to a working-class family and was orphaned at the age of seven. An uncle on his mother's side, a pastor in the Belgian province of Limburg , took him in. He spent his high school years at the Collège Marie-Thérèse in Herve , before entering the small seminary in Sint-Truiden , where he was particularly interested in philosophy. He then studied at the seminary in Liege theology and completed his studies at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he on 23 February 1861 ordained priest was.

After his ordination he took over the church management of a grammar school in Huy for a short time and then became director of the small seminary in Sint-Truiden. In 1871 he became Regens of the seminary in Liège and in 1874 Vicar General for the diocese.

On July 15, 1875 he was by Pope Pius IX. as coadjutor with the right of succession to the incumbent Bishop Théodore de Montpellier . Théodore de Montpellier donated him episcopal ordination on August 1st of the same year . Co- consecrators were the Bishop of Bruges , Jean Joseph Faict , and the Bishop of Ghent , Hendrik-Frans Bracq . His motto was Caritas aedificat .

Act

With the death of Théodore de Montpellier on August 26, 1878, he took over the seat of Saint Lambert of Liège as the 86th bishop . In the 1200 year old history of the bishopric of Liège, Doutreloux was the first official who did not come from the upper class or the nobility. His term of office was marked by his vehement action against the separation of the teaching system from the Catholic Church, enforced by liberal forces in Parliament in 1879. Another focal point in his tenure was the establishment of Catholic social teaching and the promotion of Christian-social forces in the country, at a time of massive societal and social upheavals in the late founding period and advancing high industrialization.

Since 1883 Doutreloux corresponded with the Italian founder of the Salesians , Johannes Bosco (known as Don Bosco), and asked him to open an orphanage in Liège. On December 8, 1891, the Saint Jean Berchmans orphanage was opened. It was named after the young deceased compatriot and in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII. canonized Jan Berchmans . This was the first Belgian branch of the Salesians.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Letters from Doutreloux to the Salesians with curriculum vitae  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (in French)  

Web links

• Entry on Victor-Joseph Doutreloux on catholic-hierarchy.org

predecessor	Office	successor
Théodore de Montpellier	Bishop of Liège 1879–1901	Martin-Hubert Rutten