Charles Felix Van Quickenborne
Encyclopedia
Father Charles Felix Van Quickenborne (1788 – 1837) was born in Petegem, near Deinze
, Belgium
on 21 January 1788. Van Quickenborne is best known as the founder of St. Louis University.
He became a Jesuit in Ghent, Belgium in 1815, and, at his request, was sent to the American Missions in 1817. He was appointed Superior and Novice Master of the Jesuit
novitiate in White Marsh, Maryland
in 1819.
, Louis Du Bourg, invited the Society of Jesus
to come to the newly admitted state of Missouri
. In 1823, twelve young Belgian
Jesuits and six African-American slaves, led by Father Quickenborne, left a struggling Jesuit plantation near White Marsh, Maryland and made their way west, first by flatboat down the Ohio River
, and then on foot across Illinois
.
In 1823 Father Quikenborne and his group moved west to Missouri’s Florissant Valley, about twenty miles northwest of St. Louis, where Bishop Du Bourg had given the Jesuits a tract of land. With a subsidy from the government of President James Monroe
, Van Quickenborne began a school for Native Americans
.
of the Jesuits about opening a college in St. Louis on land he had purchased at auction. The beginnings of Saint Louis University as a Jesuit institution may be dated from the period (second half of 1825) at which white students were first received by Father van Quickenborne at St. Regis Seminary
.
First recorded Kansas
The following is the first certified baptism:
Father Charles Felix Van Quickenborne died on 17 August 1837 at age 49 and is buried at Florissant, Mo.
Deinze
Deinze is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Deinze proper and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Meigem, Petegem-aan-de-Leie, Sint-Martens-Leerne, Vinkt, Wontergem and Zeveren. On January 1,...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on 21 January 1788. Van Quickenborne is best known as the founder of St. Louis University.
He became a Jesuit in Ghent, Belgium in 1815, and, at his request, was sent to the American Missions in 1817. He was appointed Superior and Novice Master of the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
novitiate in White Marsh, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1819.
Westward
In the early 1820s the Bishop of the Louisiana TerritoryLouisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805 until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed to Missouri Territory...
, Louis Du Bourg, invited the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
to come to the newly admitted state of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. In 1823, twelve young Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Jesuits and six African-American slaves, led by Father Quickenborne, left a struggling Jesuit plantation near White Marsh, Maryland and made their way west, first by flatboat down the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, and then on foot across Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
In 1823 Father Quikenborne and his group moved west to Missouri’s Florissant Valley, about twenty miles northwest of St. Louis, where Bishop Du Bourg had given the Jesuits a tract of land. With a subsidy from the government of President James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
, Van Quickenborne began a school for Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
Saint Louis University
Father van Quickenbourne had opened St. Regis Seminary, a school for young Indian boys, at Florissant, Mo. in May of 1824. In late 1824 he wrote to the Superior GeneralSuperior General of the Society of Jesus
The Superior General of the Society of Jesus is the official title of the leader of the Society of Jesus—the Roman Catholic religious order, also known as the Jesuits. He is generally addressed as Father General. The position carries the nickname of Black Pope, after his simple black priest's...
of the Jesuits about opening a college in St. Louis on land he had purchased at auction. The beginnings of Saint Louis University as a Jesuit institution may be dated from the period (second half of 1825) at which white students were first received by Father van Quickenborne at St. Regis Seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
.
First recorded KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
Baptism
The following is the first certified baptism:
- "A neosho chez Mr. Ligueste Chouteau," 27 August 1827, Father Charles F. Van Quickenborne baptized Henri Mongrain, "Son of Noel pere and of Tonpapai, age two years, sponsor Mr. Ligueste P. Chouteau" (baptismal register, St. Ferdinand's church, Florissant, Missouri)
- In 1837, Father van Quickenborne baptized 14 Indian children in a PotawatomiPotawatomiThe Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
camp just outside Fort LeavenworthFort LeavenworthFort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
.
Saint Raphaels Cathedral
The parish of St. Raphael's Cathedral (Dubuque, Iowa) traces its origin to 1833, when the first group of settlers gathered for Mass services. Father Van Quickenborne began organizing them into a parish and began planning for a church building. However, he began his final journey west before the materials were even assembled.Father Charles Felix Van Quickenborne died on 17 August 1837 at age 49 and is buried at Florissant, Mo.