Francisco Javier Vila y Mateu (in the world of Ricardo Vila y Mateu ) ( Spanish Ricardo Vilá y Mateu ; May 9, 1851, Arens de Mar , province of Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain - January 1, 1913, Hagatna , Territory of Guam , USA ) - Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church , member of the Order of the Brothers of the Lesser Capuchins , 1st Apostolic Vicar of Guam , 16th titular Bishop of Adraa .
| His Grace Bishop | |||
| Francisco Javier Vila y Mateu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| English Francisco Xavier Vilá y Mateu | |||
 Francisco Javier, in the world of Ricardo Vila y Mateu | |||
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| August 25, 1911 - January 1, 1913 | |||
| Predecessor | Vicariate established | ||
| Successor | Agustin Bernaus y Serra | ||
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| August 25, 1911 - January 1, 1913 | |||
| Predecessor | Auguste Preso | ||
| Successor | Ramon Subieta i Les | ||
| Birth | May 9, 1851 Arenys de Mar , Province of Barcelona , Catalonia , Spain | ||
| Death | January 1, 1913 (61 years old) Hagatna , Guam Territory , USA | ||
Biography
Ricardo Vila y Mateu was born in the town of Arens de Mar on May 9, 1851. During the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, he decided to become a monk. In 1869 he moved to Guatemala , where he joined the Order of the Brothers of Lesser Capuchins. As a monk, he adopted the new name Francisco Javier, in honor of the famous missionary - St. Francis Xavier [1] .
He studied theology in Toulouse , France. On August 24, 1875 he was ordained a priest in Ecuador . On August 25, 1911, Pope Pius X nominated him the Apostolic Vicar of Guam and the titular Bishop of Adraa. Prior to the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate, a mission operated on the island of Guam was led by Jesuit priests and Augustinian recollectors or the archbishop of Cebu from the Philippines. The mission was supposed to be led by the Capuchins from Germany , but due to the political situation at that time, the Holy See transferred the mission to the cares of the Capuchins from Spain, establishing the Apostolic Vicariate and appointing him the head of Francisco Javier Vila-i-Mateu [1] .
Prior to this, he bore the obedience of the mentor of the Capuchin novitiate in Spain, the and rector of the provinces of the Capuchins - from 1889 to 1895 Aragonese and from 1900 to 1906 Catalan . On October 1, 1911, Juan José Laguard-i-Fenolliera, Bishop of Barcelona, who was served by Francisco de Pol-i-Baralt, Bishop of Gerona and Luis José Maria Amigo-i-Ferrer, Bishop of Tagast, performed ordination over him as bishop. He arrived in Guam in 1912, and served in his ministry for a little less than a year. Francisco Javier Vila-i-Mateu died in Hagatna on January 1, 1913 and was buried the next day [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Bishop Francisco Javier Vilá. First missionary bishop on Guam . www.guampedia.com. Date of treatment December 28, 2015.
Links
- Bishop Francisco Xavier Ricardo Vilá y Mateu, OFM Cap. . www.catholic-hierarchy.org. - The article "Bishop Francisco Javier Ricardo Vila-i-Mateu, OBMCap." On a site with materials about the Catholic hierarchy. Date of treatment December 28, 2015. (English)