Simon William Gabriel Brute

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Simon William Gabriel Brute from Who-When-What Book, 1900

Simon William Gabriel Brute from History of the Diocese of Vincennes, 1883

Simon William Gabriel Bruté (1779-1839), (Bruté de Rémur, Simon William Gabriel) American prelate, first Roman Catholic bishop of the diocese of Vincennes, Indiana, was born at Rennes, France, on 20 March 1779, his father, Simon Gabriel Guillaume Brute de Remur (1729-1786), being superintendent of the crown lands in Brittany.

He was educated for the medical profession, but entered the Sulpician Seminary of Paris in November 1803, was ordained priest in 1808, refused the post of chaplain to Napoleon I, was professor of theology in the Diocesan Seminary at Rennes in 1808-1810. Due to his long general interest in missions, and particularly his acquaintance with Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget of Kentucky, the missionary life attracted his interest. In August 1810 he sailed for Baltimore along with Bishop Flaget of Bardstown and Anthony Deydier among others. After teaching for two years (1810-1812) at St. Mary's College, Baltimore, he was sent to Mount St. Mary's College, in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he remained until 1815, acting both as teacher and as pastor.

He next visited France in the interest of American missions, and on his return in November 1815, became president of St. Mary's College, Baltimore. In 1818 he resumed his labors at Emmitsburg, and from this time until 1834 he held an almost unparalleled place in the American church, being constantly consulted by clergy throughout the country. In addition to lecturing, teaching and preaching he cared for the pastoral needs of his parish. In addition he ministered to the needs of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, led by Mother Seton.

The see of Vincennes was created in 1834. Brute was appointed its first bishop and was consecrated in the same year. He traveled to France for financial aid, with which he built his cathedral and several useful institutions. He again journeyed to France in 1836 when he returned with a number of clerical recruits, among them Benjamin Petit the missionary to the Potawatomi Indians. He was professor of theology in his seminary, teacher in one of his academies, as well as pastor and bishop. Interesting stories are told of the high respect in which he was held by the neighboring Indians, who called him chief of the Black robes and man of the true prayer. Bruté continued to build up the clergy, even to the point of recruiting old acquaintances, such as Anthony Deydier who arrived on the same boat at Bruté in 1810. Upon Bruté's arrival in Indiana there was only one priest assigned to the diocese which covered all of Indiana and the eastern half of Illinois. Upon his death, the number of clergymen had grown tremendously. Bruté knew, however, that much work remained to be done. For a number of years before his death he had sought a coadjutor bishop, but upon his death none had been named.

He died in Vincennes, Indiana, on the 26th of June 1839. His great influence on the entire church, his wonderful success in planning, financing, and carrying out necessary ecclesiastical reforms, and the constructive and executive ability he displayed in his diocese, made him one of the foremost Catholic emigrants to the U.S. He wrote Brief Notes on his experiences in France in 1793, in which he describes state persecution of Catholic priests.

In 2005, one of Brute‘s successors, Archbishop Daniel Beuchlein, (of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis - transferred from Vincennes in 1898), began the process for the eventual canonization of Bishop Brute‘, who is now known as "Servant of God". [1]