Etienne Jerome Rouchouze
Encyclopedia
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers, priests, and nuns...
served as Vicar Apostolic and 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 Nilopolis
Nilopolis
Nilopolis or Delas was a city in Egypt situated on the left bank of the Nile, about forty-seven miles from Memphis.It is a Roman Catholic titular bishopric and a suffragan of the metropolitan of Oxyrynchos, in Egypt.-History:...
from 1833 to 1843 of the Vicariate Apostolic of Oriental Oceania
Vicariate Apostolic of Oriental Oceania
The Vicariate Apostolic of Eastern Oceania was a Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction for some of the South Pacific islands.-History:The whole of Oceania had at first been entrusted by the Propaganda Fide to the Society of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary ; but the territory proving too large,...
, from which were derived the Archdiocese of Pape‘ete
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in French Polynesia. It is responsible for the suffragan diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata.-Ordinaries:*Florentin-Étienne Jaussen *Marie-Joseph Verdier, SS.CC....
, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu
The Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, officially in Latin Dioecesis Honoluluensis, is an ecclesiastical territory or particular church of the Catholic Church in the United States...
and the Diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata
Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata in French Polynesia is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete. It was erected as the Vicariate Apostolic of Marquesas Islands in 1848 and elevated to the Diocese of Taiohae in 1966...
in the Marquesas Islands. As a missionary bishop, Msgr. Rouchouze resided in Valparaíso, Chile and in Honolulu; he was responsible for the evangelization efforts of the Picpus Fathers in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and eastern Pacific.
Prior to his episcopal ministry, Pope Gregory XVI, on November 27, 1825, created the Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands
Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands
The Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands or the Sandwich Isles Mission , was an ecclesiastical territory of the Roman Catholic Church created by Pope Leo XII on November 27, 1825 encompassing the Sandwich Islands and entrusted to the care of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus...
. Father Alexis Bachelot
Alexis Bachelot
Alexis John Augustine Bachelot was a Roman Catholic priest best known for his tenure as the first Prefect Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands. In that role, he led the first Catholic mission to the Kingdom of Hawaii....
was subsequently appointed its first prefect on December 3, 1825.
Msgr. Rouchouze was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Oriental Oceania and Titutlar Bishop of Nilopolis on June 14, 1833 with ordinary jurisdiction over the Hawai‘i prefecture apostolic. He was subsequently consecrated to the episcopate in Rome, on December 22, 1833 by the Prefect of the Propaganda Fide
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in Rome is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for missionary work and related activities...
, Cardinal Carlo Maria Pedicini. On June 29, 1834, in Golden Square
Golden Square
Golden Square, Soho, London in the City of Westminster is one of the historic squares of Central London. The square is just east of Regent Street and north of Piccadilly Circus....
in London, Msgr. Rouchouze served as principal co-consecrator in the episcopal ordination of Msgr. John Bede Polding, O.S.B., Titular Bishop of Hierocaesarea and Vicar Apostolic elect of New Holland
New Holland (Australia)
New Holland is a historic name for the island continent of Australia. The name was first applied to Australia in 1644 by the Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman as Nova Hollandia, naming it after the Dutch province of Holland, and remained in use for 180 years....
.
On January 17, 1839, Msgr. Rouchouze blessed the first stone for the first church in Mangareva
Mangareva
Mangareva is the central and most important island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north...
; he arrived in Mangareva on April 4, 1839. He said the first pontifical Mass in the Marquesas at Tahuata on February 6, 1839. He arrived in Honolulu on May 14, 1840. On December 8, 1842, the ship Marie-Joseph was blessed in Saint Malo in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. Shortly thereafter, Msgr. Rouchouze, accompanied by thirteen brothers and ten sisters, left Saint Malo for Oceania on the Marie-Joseph. On February 24, 1843, Msgr. Rouchouze and his twenty-three missionaries left the island of Saint Catherine on the Marie-Joseph. On March 13, 1843, the ship was last sighted at 51° N, 62° W. Msgr. Rouchouze and his companions were never seen again and were presumed to have perished at sea.