Rudolph de Landas Berghes
Encyclopedia
Rudolph Francis Edward St. Patrick Alphonsus Ghislain de Gramont Hamilton de Lorraine-Brabant, Prince de Landas Berghes et de Rache, Duc de St. Winock (November 1, 1873 - November 17, 1920), was an Austrian
noble and Old Catholic bishop who resided in the United States
.
Prince Rudolph de Landas Berghes was born in Naples, Italy on November 1, 1873, and was of the princely house of the Princes de Rache of the house of de Berghes and a Grandee of Spain, and a member of the royal line of Brittany
. He was reared as a member of the Protestant Low Church of England
. Rudolph was educated at Eton
and the Universities of Cambridge
, Paris
and Brussels
. He successfully completed courses in Law
, Theology
and military tactics
. He served as a Staff Officer Captain in the British Army
for ten years and took part in the Sudan Campaign
under Lord Kitchener
. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
.
After his service in the military, Prince de Landas Berghes joined the High Church of England
in which he received Anglican Orders. In 1910 he joined the Old Catholic Church
. On June 29, 1913, he was raised to the episcopacy by the Old Catholic Bishop of Great Britain Arnold Harris Mathew to serve as the Old Catholic missionary bishop for Scotland
. With the outbreak of World War I
, being a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire resident in Great Britain, he became an enemy alien, and was liable to incarceration for the duration of the War. In order to spare him this indignity and as a special favor to him for his distinguished service in the British Army, the British Foreign Office arranged for him to go to the United States
, which was a neutral power until 1917, in September 1914.
He went to the United States
and was licensed to function in the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States
. The Episcopal Church asked de Landas Berghes to assist at the consecration of Hiram Richard Hulse as the Episcopal Missionary Bishop for Cuba
at New York City
on the January 12, 1915. In this way, there could be no doubt about the apostolic succession of Bishop Hulse or the validity of his orders from the Roman Catholic point of view in light of Pope Leo XIII's
bull
Apostolicae Curae
.
De Landas Berghes took up residence at St. Dunstan's Abbey, Waukegan, Illinois
and raised Abbot William H. F. Brothers to the episcopacy on October 3, 1916. The following day he consecrated Carmel Henry Carfora
as a bishop of the North American Old Roman Catholic Church. With Carfora he then consecrated Stanislaus Mickiewicz, a former Polish National Catholic priest, in 1917.
On December 22, 1919, he renounced the Old Catholic Church and joined the Roman Catholic Church, making his submission to the Archbishop of New York Patrick Cardinal Hayes in Saint Patrick's Cathedral
, New York. He then entered the Augustinian novitiate in Villanova, Pennsylvania
on March 13, 1920. He died there about eight months later on November 17 at the age of 47. He was buried in the Community Cemetery at Villanova with full episcopal honors by the Roman Catholic Church.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
noble and Old Catholic bishop who resided in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Prince Rudolph de Landas Berghes was born in Naples, Italy on November 1, 1873, and was of the princely house of the Princes de Rache of the house of de Berghes and a Grandee of Spain, and a member of the royal line of 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...
. He was reared as a member of the Protestant Low Church of England
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
. Rudolph was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and the Universities of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and Brussels
Université Libre de Bruxelles
The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
. He successfully completed courses in Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and military tactics
Military tactics
Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
. He served as a Staff Officer Captain in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
for ten years and took part in the Sudan Campaign
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
under Lord Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
. He was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
After his service in the military, Prince de Landas Berghes joined the High Church of England
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
in which he received Anglican Orders. In 1910 he joined the Old Catholic Church
Old Catholic Church
The term Old Catholic Church is commonly used to describe a number of Ultrajectine Christian churches that originated with groups that split from the Roman Catholic Church over certain doctrines, most importantly that of Papal Infallibility...
. On June 29, 1913, he was raised to the episcopacy by the Old Catholic Bishop of Great Britain Arnold Harris Mathew to serve as the Old Catholic missionary bishop for 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...
. With the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, being a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire resident in Great Britain, he became an enemy alien, and was liable to incarceration for the duration of the War. In order to spare him this indignity and as a special favor to him for his distinguished service in the British Army, the British Foreign Office arranged for him to go to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which was a neutral power until 1917, in September 1914.
He went to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was licensed to function in the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
. The Episcopal Church asked de Landas Berghes to assist at the consecration of Hiram Richard Hulse as the Episcopal Missionary Bishop for Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on the January 12, 1915. In this way, there could be no doubt about the apostolic succession of Bishop Hulse or the validity of his orders from the Roman Catholic point of view in light of Pope Leo XIII's
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Apostolicae Curae
Apostolicae Curae
Apostolicae Curae is the title of a papal bull, issued in 1896 by Pope Leo XIII, declaring all Anglican ordinations to be "absolutely null and utterly void"...
.
De Landas Berghes took up residence at St. Dunstan's Abbey, Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
and raised Abbot William H. F. Brothers to the episcopacy on October 3, 1916. The following day he consecrated Carmel Henry Carfora
Carmel Henry Carfora
Carmel Henry Carfora , raised Roman Catholic in his native Naples, Italy, was a co-founder and leader of the North American Old Roman Catholic Church...
as a bishop of the North American Old Roman Catholic Church. With Carfora he then consecrated Stanislaus Mickiewicz, a former Polish National Catholic priest, in 1917.
On December 22, 1919, he renounced the Old Catholic Church and joined the Roman Catholic Church, making his submission to the Archbishop of New York Patrick Cardinal Hayes in Saint Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
, New York. He then entered the Augustinian novitiate in Villanova, Pennsylvania
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Villanova is a community in the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It straddles Lower Merion Township of Montgomery County and Radnor Township of Delaware County. It is located at the center of the Pennsylvania Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburban towns located...
on March 13, 1920. He died there about eight months later on November 17 at the age of 47. He was buried in the Community Cemetery at Villanova with full episcopal honors by the Roman Catholic Church.