Michael Levadoux
Michael Levadoux (1746–1815) was a French
St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore
.
Life
Levadoux was born on April 1, 1746 at
Auvergne, France.[1] He studied theology at the Sulpician Seminary at Clermont beginning on October 30, 1769. He spent one year at "Solitude", or Sulpician novitiate. He was the director of the Grand séminaire de Limoges from 1774 to 1791.[1]
In consequence of the threatening aspect of affairs for Catholicism during the
Francis C. Nagot was named first director of the projected seminary at Baltimore. With him was associated Levadoux, John Tessier, Gamier, and Montdésir, together with several seminarians.[1]
Delavau, canon of St. Martin of Tours, and
Saint Malo, April 8, 1791, and after a tempestuous and roundabout voyage reached Baltimore July 10. For one year, Levadoux, as treasurer, assisted Nagot in organizing the Seminary of St. Mary's, and was then sent by the latter to the Illinois mission, for which Emery had at first destined Chicosneau, deeming Levadoux a better administrator of temporal affairs. Empowered as vicar-general by Carroll, he took his departure for the West on January 15, 1792.[1]
His missionary labors centred on
Fort Vincennes in 1795 he visited that post also. Meanwhile, as the health of Nagot, superior of the Sulpicians in the United States, was failing fast, he was desirous of having Levadoux near him at Baltimore, that he might be ready to succeed him in office; but Carroll was no less anxious to secure his services for Detroit.[1]
The bishop's wishes prevailed, and Levadoux became parish priest of
Fort Wayne.[1] Gabriel Richard joined him on June 7, 1798,[3] as the assistant pastor.[4] In 1801, Nagot recalled Levadoux to Baltimore.[1]
In 1803, Levadoux received orders from Emery to return to France, where he was soon appointed superior of the Seminary of St. Flour in Auvergne, and remained there until the dispersion of the Sulpicians by
Napoleon I, in 1811. When their institute was revived, in 1814, Duclaux, successor of Emery, placed Levadoux at the head of the Seminary of Le-Puy-en-Velay.[1]
Levadoux died at
Le-Puy-en-Velay on January 13, 1815.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Jones, Arthur Edward (1913). "Michael Levadoux". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ The Story of Ste Anne de Detroit Church 1976, p. 19.
- ^ Farmer, Silas (1890). History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present. Detroit: Silas Farmer & Co. p. 531.
- ^ "Detroit: Speramus meliora resurget cineribus". Michigan House Republicans. 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
Bibliography
- The Story of Ste Anne de Detroit Church, Detroit Michigan 1701-1976 (PDF). Custombook, Inc. 1976.
