Charles Nerinckx
Charles Nerinckx (2 October 1761, Herfelingen – 12 August 1824) was a Catholic missionary priest who migrated from Belgium to work in Kentucky. He founded fourteen churches and the Sisters of Loretto. Nerinckx became known as "the Apostle of Kentucky."
Early life and education
The son of Dr. Sebastian and Petronilla Langendries Nerinckx, Charles Nerinckx was born 2 October 1761 in Herfelingen, Flemish Brabant, the eldest of fourteen children. Nerinckx was educated at the University of Leuven and, upon completion of his theological training at the Major Seminary, Mechelen, was ordained a priest in 1785.[1]
He became vicar at the cathedral of
With his name listed as a fugitive from justice, returning to his parish was impossible and Nerinckx decided to emigrate to America. He wrote to Bishop John Carroll offering his services for the American mission. His letter was accompanied by a recommendation from Adelheid Amalie Gallitzin, mother of Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, who was already serving as a missionary in the Alleghenies. Receiving a favorable reply, he set out; the voyage from Amsterdam to Baltimore took three months.[3]
America
Nerinckx immigrated to the United States in 1804. After spending some months at Georgetown College, he was assigned by Bishop
Nerinckx organized new congregations and oversaw the building of churches. Friends and supporters in Belgium sent him church goods, seeds, and plants. Word of Nerinckx's efforts reached the Holy See and in 1808, the Pope sought to appoint him Bishop of New Orleans, but Nerinckx refused the honor.[1] Soon after the arrival of Bishop Flaget in Bardstown, in June, 1811, a conference of the five secular and four Dominican priests serving in Kentucky was held for the purpose of distributing diocese territory into missionary districts. Nerinckx was assigned practically half the state, with residence at St. Charles in a little one room log cabin.[3]
With a focus on Catholic education, Nerinckx founded the Loretto
Nerinckx died at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on 12 August 1824.[1]
Legacy and honors
Nerinx Hall, a private secondary school for girls, was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1924 in Webster Groves, Missouri and named in honor of Nerinckx.
References
- ^ a b c Maes, Camillus. "Charles Nerinckx." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 20 Sept. 2015
- ^ Schauinger, J. Herman: Cathedrals in the Wilderness, page 32. Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1952
- ^ a b c Murphy, Joseph J., "Reverend Charles Nerinckx", Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, June, 1916, Vol. 27, No. 2, American Catholic Historical Society, pp. 127-132 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Herbermann at 235.
Further reading
- Herbermann, Charles G., LL.D. Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx: Book Review in Historical Records and Studies: Volume 9, by United States Catholic Historical Society. New York: United States Catholic Historical Society (1916) at pp. 227–236. (A review of Howlett's book which gives roughly detailed outline of Nerinckx's life)
- Howlett, W.J. Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx, Pioneer Missionary of Kentucky and Founder of the Sisters of Loretto. (8 vo.) (1915) also known as Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx: pioneer missionary of Kentucky and founder of the Sisters at the Foot of the Cross 447pp. Mission Press S.V.D. (1915)
- Maes, Camillus Paul. The life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx: with a chapter on early Catholic missions of Kentucky; copious notes on the progress of Catholicity in the United States of America, from 1800–1825; an account of the establishment of the Society of Jesus in Missouri; and an historical sketch of the Sisterhood of Loretto in Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Etc. (full title) 635pp. Cincinnati: R. Clarke & Co. (1880).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Charles Nerinckx". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.