Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, SJ (1788–1837) was a Belgian
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
born best known as a missionary and a founder of
St. Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River and one of the oldest ...
. He served as novice master of the
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
novitiate at
White Marsh,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, and later when it was moved to
St. Thomas Manor in
Charles County
Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. The ...
. His missionary work took him to the areas of
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
,
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, and
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
.
Early life
Van Quickenborne was born in
Petegem, near
Deinze
Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Lei ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, on 21 January 1788. He became a
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
in
Ghent, Belgium
Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
, in 1815, and, at his request, was sent to the American Missions in 1817. He was appointed Superior and Novice Master of the
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
novitiate in White Marsh,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, in 1819. In light of the unsuitable conditions at White Marsh, he and Jesuit Provincial
Charles Neale
Charles Neale (1751–1823) was a leader of the Jesuit mission in America. Neale came from a prominent Catholic family of Maryland.
Family
Charles Neale was born in Province of Maryland to a prominent family, descended from Captain James Neale, ...
decided to transfer the Jesuit novitiate to
St. Thomas Manor in St. Charles County, Maryland.
[Owens, S.L., M. Lilliana. ''The Early Work of the Lorettines in Southeastern Kansas'', 1947 (Vol. 14 No. 3), p. 263]
/ref>
Missouri
In the early 1820s the Bishop of the Louisiana Territory
The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...
, Louis Du Bourg, invited the Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
to come to the newly admitted state of Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. Van Quickenborne volunteered, and was accompanied by six young Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
Jesuits and six African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
enslaved people: Moses and Nancy Queen, Thomas and Molly Brown, and Isaac and Susan Hawkins, each husband and wife. Thomas and Molly Brown and Moses and Nancy Queen were in their 40s; while Thomas and Molly Brown were childless, Moses and Nancy Queen were forced to leave their children.
Flemish
Flemish may refer to:
* Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium
* Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium
*Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium
* Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...
priest Charles de la Croix came to Florissant, Missouri
Florissant () is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle-class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population ...
in 1818. The area was predominantly French-speaking. By the time the Jesuits arrived in early June 1823, he had nearly completed a brick church, started a farm. Van Quickenborne was placed in charge of Sacred Heart Parish. That same year, he founded St. Stanislaus Seminary
St. Stanislaus Seminary is a former Society of Jesus (Jesuits) seminary that was founded in 1823 on the outskirts of Florissant, Missouri within the current municipal limits of Hazelwood, Missouri. It was the longest continuously operated Jesuit ...
, on the farm on the outskirts of town. It was named for Jesuit Stanislaus Kostka
Stanisław Kostka, S.J. (28 October 1550 – 15 August 1568) was a Polish novice in the Society of Jesus.
He was born at Rostkowo, Przasnysz County, Poland, on 28 October 1550, and died in Rome during the night of 14–15 August 1568. He is sai ...
. The Queens, Browns, and the Hawkins worked the farm to support the mission. Pierre-Jean De Smet
Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ ( ; 30 January 1801 – 23 May 1873), also known as Pieter-Jan De Smet, was a Flemish Catholic priest and member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He is known primarily for his widespread missionary work in the mid-19t ...
was a student at the seminary.
When Father de la Croix was later appointed to St. Michael's parish in lower Louisiana, Van Quickenborne took over his work among the Osage People
The Osage Nation ( ) () is a Midwestern United States, Midwestern Native Americans in the United States, Native American nation of the Great Plains. The tribe began in the Ohio River, Ohio and Mississippi River, Mississippi river valleys arou ...
farther west. His first visit was in 1827. Many of the Osage had known him in eastern Missouri before they had moved west and they made him welcome.[
In the summer of 1833, Van Quickenborne organized the Catholics of ]Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...
into the Parish of St. Raphael. The parish did not have a regular church building yet, so the members met at various homes for mass. The later became the cathedral seat of the Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dubuque () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States.
The Diocese of Dubuque was erected in 1837 and ...
.
Researchers have noted van Quickenborne's refusal to address reports of abuse of enslaved African Americans in Missouri, when he served as superior. He was at one point involved in an altercation with two women who were "furious" with his tepid response.
St. Regis Seminary
Van Quickenbourne had opened St. Regis Seminary, a boarding school for young Native American boys, at Florissant, Mo. in May 1824. In late 1824 he wrote to the Superior General
A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons (nuns, priests, friars, etc) or, in other words, of a 'religious institute' in the Catholic Church, and in some other Christian denominations. The super ...
of the Jesuits about opening a college in St. Louis on land he had purchased at auction. The beginnings of Saint Louis University as a Jesuit institution may be dated from the period (second half of 1825) at which white students were first received at St. Regis.
Researchers have noted van Quickenborne's harsh treatment of children at St. Regis, including slavery-like conditions and physical abuse.
First recorded Kansas baptism
The following is the first certified baptism:
*"''A neosho chez'' Mr. Ligueste Chouteau", (at Neosho in the home of Mr. Ligueste Chouteau), 27 August 1827, Father Van Quickenborne baptized Henri Mongrain, "Son of Noel ''pere'' and of Tonpapai, age two years, sponsor Mr. Ligueste P. Chouteau" (baptismal register, St. Ferdinand's church, Florissant, Missouri). Father Van Quickenborne said the first verifiable Mass in Kansas two days earlier at St. Paul in Neosho County.
*In 1837, Father Van Quickenborne baptized 14 Indian children in a Potawatomi
The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
camp just outside Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
.
Death
Charles Felix Van Quickenborne died on 17 August 1837 at age 49 at Portage Des Sioux, Missouri
Portage Des Sioux is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The town sits on the Mississippi River roughly opposite Elsah, Illinois, and is the home of the riverside shrine of Our Lady of the Rivers. The population was 328 at t ...
. He was buried at St. Charles, Missouri
Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...
before being moved to Florissant. He was later interred at the nearly consecrated cemetery at St. Stanislaus'.
His missionary work among the Kickapoos was taken over by the Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
Jesuit Father Christian Hoecken.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Quickenborne, Charles Felix
1788 births
1837 deaths
19th-century Belgian Jesuits
Belgian Roman Catholic missionaries
19th-century American Jesuits
Belgian emigrants to the United States
Saint Louis University people
University and college founders
Roman Catholic missionaries in the United States
Jesuit missionaries
Missionary educators
American slave owners