Charles John Seghers
| Charles John Seghers | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
26 December 1839 Ghent, Belgium |
| Died | 28 November 1886 (aged 46) Near Nulato, Alaska |
| Occupation | Catholic missionary bishop |
Charles John Seghers (also written as Charles-Jean Seghers; 26 December 1839 – 28 November 1886) was a Belgian clergyman and missionary bishop. He is considered to be the founder of the Alaska Mission.
Seghers was born at Ghent, in Belgium.
He attended school at the Jesuit High School of Ste. Barbe in Ghent, and the American College in Leuven. Ordained priest in May 1863 in Mechlin, Belgium, he left soon after to begin his missionary work in the area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in November of that year.
While there, he founded St. Joseph's Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia. He returned to Rome to take part in the First Vatican Council. He was appointed as a diocesan administrator in 1871, and later Bishop of Vancouver Island (now Bishop of Victoria) on 29 June 1873. He made his first visit to Alaska, which was included in his diocese, three weeks later. He made five visits to Alaska during his term as bishop. In June 1878, he left Nulato, Alaska, where he had set up a temporary headquarters, and set sail to San Francisco, where he learned he had been appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Oregon City. Although he personally would have preferred remaining a missionary, he accepted the appointment. He would later become the Archbishop in 1880. In that capacity, he visited Rome in 1883, and took part that year in the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. After petitioning Pope Leo XIII to be reassigned to Vancouver again, his wish was granted. This allowed him to return to missionary work. He established missions in Juneau and Sitka, and also founded a school and hospital in Juneau.
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