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 Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Mission.

Biography

Early years and formation

Seghers was born at

Ghent 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 Belgium. He attended school at 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 ...

High School of Ste. Barbe in Ghent, and the American College in

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

. Ordained priest in May 1863 in

Mechlin Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

, Belgium, he left soon after to begin his missionary work in the area of

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada in November of that year.

Missionary work

While there, he founded St. Joseph's Hospital in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

. He returned to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to take part in the

First Vatican Council The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 156 ...

. 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

, 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 Nulato (; "chum salmon fish camp" in Koyukon language, Koyukon; ) is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 239. History Nulato was a location for trade ...

, where he had set up a temporary headquarters, and set sail to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, 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 The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three meetings of American Catholic bishops, archbishops and superiors of religious orders in the United States. The councils were held in 1852, 1866 and 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland. These three conferenc ...

. After petitioning

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

to be reassigned to Vancouver again, his wish was granted. This allowed him to return to missionary work. He established missions in

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

and Sitka, and also founded a school and hospital in Juneau.

Death

In 1886, with two Jesuit priests, Pascal Tosi and Aloysius Robaut, and one layman, Frank Fuller, he sailed from Victoria with the intention of reaching the upper

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

. When they reached the confluence of the

Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...

and Stewart River, Seghers decided the other two priests should spend the winter there, while he and Fuller would press on to Nulato. Father Tosi expressed concerns about this proposal, noting that Fuller had displayed signs of emotional instability. Seghers acknowledged the concern, and how the lateness of the season would likely impact his work. He gave as his reasons for going ahead anyway as his wish to fulfill a promise made to the people of Nulato to return eight years earlier, and that there were stories that an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest, who was allegedly at St. Michael, Alaska, might arrive there and establish himself before Seghers. As they continued down the river, Seghers came to realize that, as traveling conditions and the boat deteriorated, Fuller's mind did as well. On 16 October, he wrote in his diary: ''Peculiar conversation with (Fuller) in which, for the third time, he gives evidence of insanity.'' On 27 November, Seghers and Fuller, with two native guides they had acquired at Nuklukayet, decided to spend the night at the fish camp at what is today known as "Bishop's Rock". Seghers was in high spirits, laughing frequently, thinking that he would finally reach Nulato the following day. Fuller, however, remained sullen, looking suspiciously at his companions and remaining agitated throughout the night. Between six and seven the next morning, the party arose and prepared for the final leg of their journey. As Seghers bent over to pick up his mittens, Fuller fired a single shot which killed Seghers instantly. His body was taken to St. Michael for burial. The next year, it was exhumed and sent to Victoria, and buried in the crypt at St. Andrew's Cathedral. He is still referred to as "the founder of the Alaska missions."

References

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External links

Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
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Seghers Collection
at University of Victoria, Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Seghers, Charles John 1839 births 1886 deaths Clergy from Ghent Belgian expatriates in Canada Belgian expatriates in the United States 19th-century Belgian Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests Flemish priests History of Catholicism in the United States Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni American College of the Immaculate Conception alumni Roman Catholic archbishops of Oregon City 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Belgian emigrants to Canada Clergy from Oregon People from Juneau, Alaska People from Sitka, Alaska Roman Catholic bishops of Victoria in Canada