Bernard Bernard
Encyclopedia
Bernard BernardBernard Bernard (21 July 1821 in Mogues
, France
– 1895) was a French Catholic
priest
and missionary
in Norway
, Iceland
and Scotland
. He was the first Prefect Apostolic of Norway
and Lapland from 1869 to 1887.
and received his consecration
in Reims
by Cardinal
Thomas-Marie-Joseph Gousset
(1792–1866).
First a parish priest in the French Ardennes
for a couple of years, he arrived in Norway in 1856, where he was put into service in the Catholic North Pole Mission (Praefectura Apostolica Poli Arctici). Already in 1856 he was sent to Iceland, which was a part of the North Pole Mission, where he arrived in 1857. Together with Jean-Baptiste Baudoin
(1831–1875), Bernard was the first Catholic priest serve in Iceland
after the Reformation
, where they built a small chapel at the Landakot farmstead near Reykjavík
. They met with a difficult reception and in 1862 Bernard left the country, while Baudoin persevered until 1875.
On April 5, 1869, Bernard was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Norway and Lapland with residence in Trondheim
. For reasons of health, Bernard resigned as Prefect Apostolic in 1887 and left Norway. He was followed by the Luxemburg priest Johannes Olaf Fallize (1844–1933), from 1892 Titular Bishop
of Elusa, under whom the mission has steadily developed, although not yet large.
Mogues
Mogues is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...
, 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...
– 1895) was a French Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was the first Prefect Apostolic of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Lapland from 1869 to 1887.
Life
Bernard was educated as a priest in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and received his consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
by Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Thomas-Marie-Joseph Gousset
Thomas-Marie-Joseph Gousset
Thomas-Marie-Joseph Gousset was a French cardinal and theologian....
(1792–1866).
First a parish priest in the French Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
for a couple of years, he arrived in Norway in 1856, where he was put into service in the Catholic North Pole Mission (Praefectura Apostolica Poli Arctici). Already in 1856 he was sent to Iceland, which was a part of the North Pole Mission, where he arrived in 1857. Together with Jean-Baptiste Baudoin
Jean-Baptiste Baudoin
Jean-Baptiste Baudoin was a French Catholic priest and missionary in Iceland.-Life:...
(1831–1875), Bernard was the first Catholic priest serve in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
after the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, where they built a small chapel at the Landakot farmstead near Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. They met with a difficult reception and in 1862 Bernard left the country, while Baudoin persevered until 1875.
On April 5, 1869, Bernard was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Norway and Lapland with residence in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. For reasons of health, Bernard resigned as Prefect Apostolic in 1887 and left Norway. He was followed by the Luxemburg priest Johannes Olaf Fallize (1844–1933), from 1892 Titular Bishop
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 Elusa, under whom the mission has steadily developed, although not yet large.
Secondary literature on Bernard
- Gunnar F. Guðmundsson, Kaþólskt trúboð á Íslandi 1857-1875, Reykjavík: Sagnfræðistofnun Háskóla Íslands 1987.
- St. Ansgar. Jahrbuch des St.-Ansgarius Werkes, Cologne 1983, pp 70–81.
External links
- http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Norway
- http://www.vortex.is/catholica/singk.html (in Icelandic)