Johannes Bapst
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John Bapst (born Johannes Bapst; December 17, 1815 â€“ November 2, 1887) was a Swiss
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 ...
missionary and educator who became the first president of
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
.


Early life

Bapst was born on December 17, 1815, in La Roche, in the Canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. One of three sons, his parents were prosperous farmers. Bapst attended schools in his village from an early age. At the age of twelve, he began his studies at Collège Saint-Michel in the city of Fribourg, progressing through the classical courses of
grammar In linguistics, grammar is the set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers. Grammar rules may concern the use of clauses, phrases, and words. The term may also refer to the study of such rul ...
,
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
,
rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...
, and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
. On September 30, 1835, having completed only the first of his two years of philosophy, Bapst was admitted into the novitiate in Estavayer-le-Lac, and entered 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 ...
. After a year, the novitiate moved to Brig-Glis in
Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
. That year, Bapst's older brother, Joseph, also entere dthe noviitate in Brig. After twelve years in Jesuit formation, Joseph left the order and eventually became the rector of Collège Saint-Michel. In September 1837, Bapst completed his noviceship and began his philosophical studies at the Jesuit scholasticate in Fribourg. This was followed by one year of studying rhetoric. In 1840, Bapst became a professor at Collége Saint-Michel, teaching rudiments and grammar for three years. He began his four years of theological studies in 1843, and on December 31, 1846, was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
by Étienne Marilley, the Bishop of Lausanne and Geneva.


Missionary in Maine

Following the defeat of the Catholic cantons in the Sonderbund War of 1847, the Jesuits were expelled from Switzerland. Bapst was sent to Notre Dame d'Ay in France to complete his tertianship. In May 1848, the Jesuit
provincial superior A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial ...
of Upper Germany directed Bapst that he would become a
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
in the United States. Bapst was greatly upset, desiring neither to work in the Jesuit missions nor move to America. He acquiesced, however, and left for
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, Belgium, from which he sailed to
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with 40 fellow Swiss Jesuits, arriving in late May.


Old Town

Despite Bapst speaking neither English nor any Indian language nor being familiar with the customs of the United States, the provincial superior of the Jesuit Maryland province sent Bapst to the mission to the Penobscot Indians in Old Town, Maine, where he would remain for three years. He sailed to
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, with another Jesuit and then alone onto Maine. Bapst took charge of the mission on August 7, 1848. The Indian residents of Old Town welcomed Bapst, as they had been without a priest for 20 years. He was able to communicate with the people through one Indian who spoke French. Bapst began to learn their language, and after several months, was able to hear confessions in their native language. He found alcoholism rampant, with public drunkenness and resulting bar fights common. As a result, he created a temperance society, which had many members, and announced that anyone who was found drunk would not be permitted to enter the church without publicly apologizing. The Indians were also engaged in a 20-year-long
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
with another a sect that had broken away. Before long, a cholera epidemic broke out among the town. Bapst viewed the Indian orators highly, writing:


Eastport

Unable to broker a peace between the opposing factions, Bapst met limited success in his mission to the Indians in Old Town, and in September 1850, the provincial superior directed him to leave for Eastport, Maine. From there, he would minister to the Irish and
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
emigrants, as well as the Indian residents of the Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation. His ministry encompassed a territory of , including 33 missions. He managed at least nine Jesuit assistants, and traveled to these many missions six times per year. By 1852, the Catholic population in the Maine mission numbered 9,000. Bapst oversaw the completion of 8 churches by 1852, whose construction had begun in 1848. He also opened St. John's Church in Waterville, St. Gabriel's Church in Winterport, and established a mission in Trescott. In October 1851, Bapst traveled to
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in Washington, D.C., where, along the way, he toured the central and southern portions of the Jesuits' Maryland province, visiting their institutions in Boston;
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
; New York;
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; and
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.


Boston College

On July 2, 1860, Bapst became the rector of the Jesuit scholasticate, which was then housed in the nascent
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
's new buildings. On July 10, 1863, the first meeting of the trustees of the newly incorporated college was held, at which Bapst was elected the first president of Boston College, as well as a member of the
board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
, for a term of three years. His presidency began the following month. At the same time, he replaced John McElroy as the
pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. While at Boston College, Bapst was the confessor to John Bernard Fitzpatrick, the Bishop of Boston, and the majority of priests of the diocese. Throughout Murphy's presidency, the school's
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...
was Robert J. Fulton, who had exclusive oversight of its academic affairs. By November 1863, Boston College and St. Ignatius Church had accrued a significant debt of more than $150,000, and Bapst anticipated a large financial deficit in the coming year. To alleviate this debt, Bapst met with the prominent men of the parish, including Andrew Carney, who pledged $20,00 if the parish raised an equal amount. Within several months, this was achieved, and in total, Bapst raised $62,000. Boston College officially opened on September 5, 1864, initially with a lower enrollment than anticipated. In total, 62 students enrolled throughout the first year, and 48 of them remained at the end of the year. In 1864, Murphy's title was reduced from rector of the scholasticate to superior, to reflect the small size of the institution. The student body steadily increased throughout the remained of his presidency, numbering 130 students in 1869. Though succeeding, the school continued to struggle financially in its early years. On August 23, 1869, Bapst's tenure as president came to an end, and he was succeeded by Robert W. Brady. By the end of his presidency, Bapst had reduced the college's debt to $58,000.


Career

He was sent to minister to the Penobscot Native Americans at Old Town, Maine, who had been without a priest for 20 years after ten of his predecessors were murdered. Initially ignorant of the
Abenaki language Abenaki (Eastern: ', Western: ), also known as Wôbanakiak, is an endangered Eastern Algonquian language of Quebec and the northern states of New England. The language has Eastern and Western forms which differ in vocabulary and phonology an ...
spoken in the Penobscot Indian Island Reservation he was able to learn it over three (3) years time. Father Bapst founded several temperance societies in
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. In 1850, he left Old Town for Eastport. His work immediately began to attract attention for its results among Catholics and for the number of converts who were brought into the Church. As his missions covered a large extent of territory, he became generally known throughout the state. When the Know-Nothing excitement broke out, he was at Ellsworth. Protestant Yankees were outraged when he denounced the public school system for forcing a Protestant Bible on Catholic children. He moved to Bangor, Maine. The Ellsworth town meeting passed a resolution threatening him bodily if he returned. He nevertheless returned to the town on a brief visit in October 1854 and was attacked by ruffians, robbed of his watch and money, tarred and feathered, and ridden out of town on a rail. The incident was met with general condemnation across Maine and the rest of
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
.Maine Historical Society, ''Maine: a history,'' (1919) Volume
pp. 304–305
In Bangor, Maine, Father Bapst built St. John's Catholic Church (Bangor, Maine), the first Catholic church in Bangor, which was dedicated in December 1856. He remained there for three years and was then sent to
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
as rector of what was the house of higher studies for Jesuit scholastics. He was afterwards superior of all the Jesuit houses of Canada and New York and then superior of a Residence in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
. Bapst died on November 2, 1887, at Mount Hope Retreat in Baltimore, and was buried in the cemetery at Woodstock College.


See also

* John Bapst Memorial High School * Bapst Library


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bapst, Johannes 1815 births 1887 deaths Anti-Catholic riots in the United States Anti-Catholicism in Maine Presidents of Boston College People from the canton of Fribourg Swiss emigrants to the United States Swiss Jesuits 19th-century American Jesuits People from Bangor, Maine People from Ellsworth, Maine 19th-century Swiss Roman Catholic priests Boston College people Know Nothing Catholics from Maine Tarring and feathering in the United States Pastors of the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Boston, Massachusetts) Burials at Woodstock College Cemetery