Alexandre Le Roy
Encyclopedia
Alexandre-Louis-Victor-Aimé Le Roy, C.S.Sp. (19 January 1854 – 21 April 1938) was a French
-born archbishop
of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost
. He served as Vicar Apostolic
of Gabon
(now the Archdiocese of Libreville
) from 1892 until 1896. He was later consecrated Titular Archbishop
of Caria in 1921.
, France
, the son of Norman
farmers. Le Roy received a secondary education at the Abbaye Blanche
in Mortain
. He went on to study philosophy at the Seminary of the Diocese of Coutances.
On 10 August 1876, at the age of 22, he was ordained a priest
of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. After his ordination, he worked as an educator in the Collège Saint-Denis in Réunion
, the Collège de Cellule
, France and Pondicherry, India
. Le Roy first traveled to Africa in 1881—he accompanied an expedition to Bagamoyo
, Tanzania
, scouting for potential mission sites; he took the opportunity to write books and magazine articles, which were highly appreciated in Europe.
He was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Gabon on 3 July 1892, with a titular bishopric (Alinda
); on 9 October 1892 he was consecrated as apostolic vicar, which he held until 24 May 1896. On 24 May 1896 he was appointed Superior General of his order. He was granted a titular archbishopric (Caria
) on 13 May 1921. He retired as superior general on 18 June 1926, and died on 21 April 1938 at the age of 84.
The Collège Saint-Alexandre
in Gatineau
, Canada
, was named in honor of Archbishop Le Roy. It was Le Roy who sent Father Amet Limbour to Canada, with a mission to found a school of agriculture for French emigrants to Quebec
.
for Archbishop Le Roy's coat of arms is taken from Armorial des prélats français du XIXe siècle.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
-born archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost
Holy Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
. He served as Vicar Apostolic
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
of Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
(now the Archdiocese of Libreville
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Libreville
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Libreville is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Libreville in Gabon.-History:* January 22, 1842: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Two Guineas and Senegambia from the Diocese of Funchal in Portugal and the Diocese of Tomé in São Tomé and...
) from 1892 until 1896. He was later consecrated Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Caria in 1921.
Life
Alexandre Le Roy was born on 19 January 1854 in Saint-Senier-de-BeuvronSaint-Senier-de-Beuvron
Saint-Senier-de-Beuvron is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-References:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the son of Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
farmers. Le Roy received a secondary education at the Abbaye Blanche
Abbaye Blanche
The Abbaye Blanche , was a nunnery founded in 1112 in Mortain, France.Shortly after establishing an abbey for men called Holy Trinity of Savigny, Saint Vitalis, founder of the monastic order of Savigny, set up the Abbaye Blanche for women. The church is built on a Latin cross floorplan of a central...
in Mortain
Mortain
Mortain is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-Geography:Mortain is situated on a rocky hill rising above the gorge of the Cance, a tributary of the Sélune.-Administration:Mortain is the seat of a canton...
. He went on to study philosophy at the Seminary of the Diocese of Coutances.
On 10 August 1876, at the age of 22, he was ordained a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. After his ordination, he worked as an educator in the Collège Saint-Denis in Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, the Collège de Cellule
Cellule
Cellule is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
, France and Pondicherry, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Le Roy first traveled to Africa in 1881—he accompanied an expedition to Bagamoyo
Bagamoyo
The town of Bagamoyo, Tanzania, was founded at the end of the 18th century. It was the original capital of German East Africa and was one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, scouting for potential mission sites; he took the opportunity to write books and magazine articles, which were highly appreciated in Europe.
He was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Gabon on 3 July 1892, with a titular bishopric (Alinda
Alinda
Alinda was an ancient inland city of Caria in Anatolia.Alinda may also refer to:* 887 Alinda, an asteroid* Alinda , a genus of land snails* Alinda family, a group of asteroids...
); on 9 October 1892 he was consecrated as apostolic vicar, which he held until 24 May 1896. On 24 May 1896 he was appointed Superior General of his order. He was granted a titular archbishopric (Caria
Caria
Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...
) on 13 May 1921. He retired as superior general on 18 June 1926, and died on 21 April 1938 at the age of 84.
The Collège Saint-Alexandre
Collège Saint-Alexandre
Collège Saint-Alexandre is a private secondary school located in Gatineau, in the Outaouais region, in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on Rue Saint-Louis in the Gatineau sector in the Limbour neighbourhood....
in Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, was named in honor of Archbishop Le Roy. It was Le Roy who sent Father Amet Limbour to Canada, with a mission to found a school of agriculture for French emigrants to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Coat of arms
The following blazonBlazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
for Archbishop Le Roy's coat of arms is taken from Armorial des prélats français du XIXe siècle.
Shield: Au 1 d'azur à la falaise d'argent mouvant du flanc dextre d l'écu, baignée d'une mer du même mouvant du flanc sénestre, de laquelle naît un soleil d'or surmonté d'une croisette latine du même (symbole de la lumière de l'Evangile qui se lève sur l'Afrique); au 2 de gueules aux emblèmes du S. E. d'argent (moins le rinceau et la gloire); à la bordure du tout de sable chargée de 14 coquilles d'argent (rappelant la Basse-Normandie et le Mont-Saint-Michel).
Motto: O Oriens veni et illumina.