William Brasseur

William Brasseur, (January 12, 1903 – February 1, 1993), was a Belgian bishop and missionary of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Vicar Apostolic of the Mountain Province (later known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio) from 1948 to 1981.

Early life and priesthood

Brasseur was born on January 12, 1903, in Marke, Belgium in the Diocese of Bruges. He joined the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) and was ordained a priest on August 18, 1929. In 1931, he was assigned to the Philippines as part of the CICM missionary thrust to evangelize the remote mountain areas in Northern Luzon. He was reassigned to Belgium for three years from 1935 until 1938 to teach at the University of Louvain's CICM School of Theology. He then returned to the Philippines and was assigned to Kabayan, Benguet. He later served as Parish Priest in Baguio Cathedral and Provincial Superior of CICM.

Episcopal ministry

On June 10, 1948, Pope Pius XII appointed Brasseur as the first Apostolic Vicar of the Mountain Province (Montañosa),
which included present-day Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Kalinga. He was consecrated Titular Bishop of Agathonice on August 24, 1948, by then Archbishop of Manila, Michael J. O'Doherty assisted by Bishop Santiago Sancho and Bishop Constant Jurgens of Tuguegarao.

Retirement and death

After serving as apostolic vicar for 33 years, Brasseur resigned in 1981. He then served as the chaplain of the Notre Dame de Chartres Hospital in Baguio until his death on February 3, 1993, at the age of 90.

Legacy

During World War II, Brasseur supported Filipino guerrillas resisting Japanese occupation. Later, he actively opposed the Marcos dictatorship during martial law.

He was affectionately called "Apo Monsignor", a title of respect among locals. He was fluent in Ilocano, Ibaloi, and Kankanaey, and was granted honorary Filipino citizenship in 1961.

In 1952, he worked with the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd to establish the Mountain Maid Training and Development Foundation, the maker of the famous Ube Jam and other souvenir products of Baguio.

Bishop Brasseur is credited with laying the foundations of the Catholic Church in the Cordillera region, especially among indigenous Igorot communities. From 1948 to 1981, he ordained 29 native priests and consecrated one bishop. He also established 59 schools, 2 seminaries, 44 mission stations, 8 rural hospitals, and 20 dispensaries across the Mountain Province. In 1992 or one year before his death, the Apostolic Vicariate of Montañosa was divided into three jurisdictions: Baguio, Bontok-Lagawe, and Tabuk.

References

External links

Bishop William Brasseur at Catholic-Hierarchy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brasseur, William
1903 births
1993 deaths
Belgian Roman Catholic missionaries
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines
Belgian Roman Catholic bishops
Bishops appointed by Pope Pius XII
Roman Catholic missionaries in the Philippines