Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel
Armand-François-Marie de Charbonnel (1 December 1802 – 29 March 1891) was the Bishop of Toronto from 1847 to 1860 and the only French and non-English priest to hold the post.
Early years
Born in Monistrol-sur-Loire, France to a French noble family, de Charbonnel was ordained Priest of Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1825. He was educated by the Basilian Fathers in Anonay.
Priesthood in Canada
De Charbonnel came to Canada in 1839 as a priest in Montreal and left for Toronto in 1847 as the city's Bishop. He resigned as Bishop of Toronto in 1860.
Return to France and death
The Bishop returned to France to return as a member of the Capuchin Order. De Charbonnel was later made Titular Bishop of Sozopolis in Haemimonto and later given the title of Bishop Emeritus of Toronto. He died in 1891 in Crest, Drôme, and was buried at the Capuchin friary there. de Charbonnel is the only bishop of Toronto buried outside of Canada.
Legacy
De Charbonnel left his legacy in Toronto through the establishment of St Michael's College under the Basilian Fathers and other institutions including:
- House of Providence - a shelter for the sick, aged and orphaned
- instituted the St Vincent de Paul Society of Toronto
- established the Toronto Savings Bank
- inviting the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Brothers of the Christian Schools to open schools.
Much of the Toronto diocese's debt was removed using money from his paternal estate in France.
Further reading
- Murray Nicholson, "The Growth of Roman Catholic Institutions in the Archdiocese of Toronto, 1841-90," in Terrence Murphy, Terrence, and Gerald Stortz, eds, Creed and Culture: The Place of English-Speaking Catholics in Canadian Society, 1750 – 1930 (1993) pp 152–170
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
External links
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Power |
Bishop of Toronto 1850–1860 |
Succeeded by John Joseph Lynch |
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