Jean-Baptiste Salpointe | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Santa Fe | |
 | |
| Archdiocese | Santa Fe |
| In office | July 18, 1885 – January 7, 1894 |
| Predecessor | Jean-Baptiste Lamy |
| Successor | Placide Louis Chapelle |
| Other posts | Vicar General of theArizona Missions (1864–1868) Bishop ofArizona Territory (1868–1885) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 20, 1851 by Louis-Charles Féron |
| Consecration | June 20, 1869 by Louis-Charles Féron |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1825-02-25)25 February 1825 |
| Died | 15 July 1898(1898-07-15) (aged 73) Tucson, Arizona, United States |
Jean-Baptiste Salpointe (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃batistsalpwɛ̃t]; February 22, 1825 – July 15, 1898) was a French-born prelate who serve as archbishop of theArchdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico in the United States from 1885 to 1894.
Salpointe previously served as vicar apostolic of theArizona Territory from 1868 to 1885.
Salpointe was born on February 21, 1825 inSaint-Maurice-près-Pionsat,Puy-de-Dôme, France, to Jean and Jeanne (née Mandigon) Salpointe.[1] He received his preparatory education in a school inAgen and studied theclassics at the College of Clermont in present-dayClermont-Ferrand, France. He subsequently studied philosophy and theology in the Grand Seminary of Montferrand inMontferrand, France.
Salpointe was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Clermont in France on December 20, 1851, by Bishop Louis-Charles Féron.[1]In 1859, Salpointe volunteered to come to theNew Mexico Territory in the United States as amissionary.
In 1860, Salpointe was assigned to the parish inMora, New Mexico, where he served for six years. The expanse of that parish extended for over 200 miles from north to south. Among his accomplishments at Mora was his success in persuading theSisters of Loretto and theDe La Salle Christian Brothers to come to the parish and establish schools there.
In August 1864, BishopJean-Baptiste Lamy of Santa Fe was informed that theJesuits in Arizona had been recalled by their superior and that theArizona territory was left without priests to care for the spiritual wants of its people. Salpointe was appointedvicar general of theArizona Missions.
On February 7, 1866, Salpointe arrived inTucson, Arizona, along with two priests fromSanta Fe. At the time, Arizona consisted of approximately 6,000 settlers in some half a dozen settlements and several mining camps, as well as theNative Americans that inhabited the territory. Salpointe set about building churches, organizing new congregations, and founding schools and hospitals in the territory. Salpointe helped complete the San Agustin Church in Tucson.[2] This was the first cathedral church built in what was then called the Arizona Territory, now the State of Arizona.
In 1868,Pope Pius IX designated Arizona as avicariate apostolic. He appointed Salpointe as the titular bishop of Dorylaëum and as vicar apostolic of Arizona on September 25, 1868. Salpointe was consecrated on June 20, 1869, in France by Féron at theCathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Clermont-Ferrand inClermont-Ferrand.[1]
On February 19, 1885, Salpointe was appointed as coadjutor archbishop of Santa Fe to assist Lamy, but remained as administrator of the Vicariate of Arizona until the appointment of his successor, BishopPeter Bourgade, in early 1885. Salpointe then succeeded Lamy as archbishop of Santa Fe on July 18, 1885.[1]
Archbishop Salpointe retired as archbishop of Santa Fe on January 7, 1894.[1]He moved to Tucson, where he wrote a history of the Catholic Church in theSouthwestern United States. Salpointe died on July 15, 1898, and is buried under the altar of St. Augustine Cathedral in Tucson.Salpointe Catholic High School in that city is named in his honor.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Vicariate Created | Vicariate Apostolic of Arizona 1868–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Santa Fe 1885–1894 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
