Theophile Meerschaert
| Theophile Meerschaert | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Oklahoma | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| See | Oklahoma |
| In office | 2 June 1891—21 February 1924 |
| Predecessor | Ignatius Jean, O.S.B. |
| Successor | Francis Kelley |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 23 December 1871 |
| Consecration | 8 September 1891 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 August 1847 , East Flanders, Belgium |
| Died | 21 February 1924 (aged 76) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
|
Styles of Theophile Meerschaert |
|
|---|---|
.svg) |
|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
Theophile Meerschaert (24 August 1847 – 21 February 1924) was a Belgian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma City in the United States from 1891 until his death in 1924.
Théophile Meerschaert was born on 24 August 1847 in , a farming village near Renaix, in the province of East Flanders in Belgium. He was the eighth of nine children of the peddler from Renaix, Pierre François Meerschaert, and his wife from Russeignies, Marie Therèse Gabreau. After studying at the College of Renaix (1859–1864) and the College of Audenarde (1864–1868), he entered the American College of Louvain in 1868, having been moved by word of the needs and opportunities in the American missions.
Meerschaert was ordained to the priesthood on 23 December 1871 in Mechelen, Belgium.
He left for the United States in September 1872, arriving at Natchez, Mississippi in the following October. For the next 19 years he labored among the difficult circumstances of the Southern Reconstruction. He was appointed to Hancock and Harrison Counties in November 1872, and transferred to Ocean Springs in August 1874. In October 1875, Meerschaert was felled by yellow fever and his case thought hopeless, but he eventually recovered. He worked in Bay St. Louis for a year before returning to Natchez in August 1880. He became vicar general of the Diocese of Natchez on 18 April 1887, and later apostolic administrator (1888–1889) after Bishop Francis Janssens was promoted to Archbishop of New Orleans in 1888. He also served as rector of St. Mary's Cathedral.
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