Philippe Viard

Philippe Joseph Viard (11 October 1809, Lyon, France – 2 June 1872) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand.

Born to Claude and Pierette Charlotte (née Rolland) in Lyon, he attended the parish school of Saint-Nizier and then entered the minor seminary at Argentière about 1827, proceeding to the major seminary of Saint-Irénée at Lyon in 1831. He was ordained priest in St John's Cathedral, Lyon on 20 December 1834 by Archbishop de Pins. He was a curate in the diocese of Lyon until 1839.

On 1 January 1839 he joined the recently formed Society of Mary. After a short novitiate Viard was professed on 19 May, leaving the following day with a group of Marists for New Zealand. The missionaries sailed from London on the Australasian Packet on 14 June 1839. They arrived in Sydney on 23 October, and sailed for New Zealand on the Martha, arriving on 8 December. Bishop Pompallier sent Viard in May 1840 to set up a mission station at Tauranga with the help of a Maori catechist, Romano.

On 4 June 1841 Pompallier made Viard his vicar general or second in charge, and recalled him to Kororareka. Viard accompanied him on his voyages around New Zealand on the mission schooner Sancta Maria. It was at Akaroa in November that news was received of Fr Peter Chanel's murder on Futuna Island in April. With Viard, Pompallier set out for Wallis and Futuna islands on his schooner, accompanied by the French corvette L'Allier. Pompallier remained at Wallis while Viard brought Chanel's remains back to the Bay of Islands in February 1842. Viard returned to Wallis in April with provisions and was placed in charge of the Pacific Islands.

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