Boegaerts, Very Rev. John B.

Submitted by Mike Miller December 1997

Very Rev. John B. Bogaerts, Orleans Parish, Louisiana Very Rev. John B. Bogaerts, vicar-general and chancellor of the archdiocese of New Orleans, was born at Olmen, Belgium, December 29, 1840, and studied the classics at the Jesuits' college at Turnhout and at the little seminary of Malines, Belgium, where he also perfected himself in philosophy, afterward studying theology in the great seminary of Malines. He was ordained sub-deacon by Cardinal Sterck, archbishop of Malines, in 1862. On February 3, 1863, he sailed from Havre (France), for New Orleans, on board the "Ste. Genevieve," being one of the party consisting of thirty-six priests and seminarians, destined for the diocese of New Orleans, who had been recruited by the Most Rev. J. M Odin, then archbishop of New Orleans, in the various seminaries of France, Belgium and Ireland, including one Italian priest, Rev. Father Manoritta, now stationed at New Orleans, and the present bishop of Natchez, Rt. Rev. T. Heslin. There were also on board twelve subjects for the diocese of Galveston and eight sisters, Ursulines and Sisters of the Incarnate Word, intended for the dioceses of Louisiana and Texas. Rt. Rev. Bishop Dubuis, bishop of Galveston led the party. They arrived in New Orleans on Good Friday, April 3, 1863, after a sixty days' trip. The eight months intervening, up to November 4, 1863, were spent at the seminary of the Lazarist Fathers, at Bouligny (now the Sixth district of New Orleans), where Rev. T. B. Bogaerts was ordained deacon, and finally priest, November 4, 1863,- with nine other clergymen, all of the archdiocese of New Orleans. Of the ten priests then ordained, eight celebrated their silver jubilee of twenty-five years of priesthood, on November 4, 1888, at the St. Louis cathedral in New Orleans, some 120 priests being in attendance, and the present archbishop, Most Rev. F. Janssens, presiding. Rev. J. B. Bogaerts' first field of labor was Gretna, opposite New Orleans, where he celebrated the first mass on November 15,1863, and organized a parish. He was transferred to St. Henry's church (Sixth district), New Orleans, on July 15, 1871, where the same work was repeated. He remained its pastor until May 1, 1891. In May, 1889, he was appointed vicar-general of the archdiocese. He acted as administrator of the diocese during the five months of absence of Archbishop Janssens in Europe, whither the latter went in 1889 to recruit priests for his diocese. After the Archbishop's return from Europe, Very Rev. J. B. Bogaerts continued to act in the double capacity of vicar general and pastor of St. Henry's church, until his removal on May 1, 1891, when be was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese and pastor of St. Mary's church (archbishopric), continuing at the same time in the capacity of vicar-general. From Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, volume 2, pp. 301-302.