Roman Catholic Bishop. Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues had the distinction of being the first Catholic bishop in Ottawa. He was born in La Garde, France, and went to Provence in 1824 to join the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This order was founded by Charles-Eugène de Mazenod to evangelize both in France and in distant lands such as North America, South Africa, and Asia. Guigues was ordained as an Oblate priest by the Bishop of Marseille on May 26, 1828. After promotion to acting superior of Canada, the priest was sent there in 1844. Pope Pius IX appointed him as the first bishop of Ottawa (then Bytown), and he was consecrated the following year, on July 30, 1848. To promote development of his diocese, Guigues founded the Collège de Bytown, the future University of Ottawa, in 1848. He oversaw the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral, completed in 1846, and created Notre Dame Cemetery in 1872. He attended the Vatican Council in 1870, where he was given the title of Roman count. Bishop Guigues was interred at his cathedral on July 12, 1874. Notre Dame Cathedral was elevated to a basilica in 1879. Today, Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica is the oldest existing church in Ottawa and the seat of the archdiocese. After the bishop's death, a monument to honor him was commissioned. It was sculpted by the artist Louis-Philippe Hébert and is located just outside the basilica. A school, village, and township all bear the bishop's name. And the priest who trained Guigues in Provence, Charles-Eugène de Mazenod, was canonized by Pope John Paul II on December 3, 1995, and is now Saint Eugène de Mazenod.
Roman Catholic Bishop. Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues had the distinction of being the first Catholic bishop in Ottawa. He was born in La Garde, France, and went to Provence in 1824 to join the Congregation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This order was founded by Charles-Eugène de Mazenod to evangelize both in France and in distant lands such as North America, South Africa, and Asia. Guigues was ordained as an Oblate priest by the Bishop of Marseille on May 26, 1828. After promotion to acting superior of Canada, the priest was sent there in 1844. Pope Pius IX appointed him as the first bishop of Ottawa (then Bytown), and he was consecrated the following year, on July 30, 1848. To promote development of his diocese, Guigues founded the Collège de Bytown, the future University of Ottawa, in 1848. He oversaw the construction of Notre Dame Cathedral, completed in 1846, and created Notre Dame Cemetery in 1872. He attended the Vatican Council in 1870, where he was given the title of Roman count. Bishop Guigues was interred at his cathedral on July 12, 1874. Notre Dame Cathedral was elevated to a basilica in 1879. Today, Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica is the oldest existing church in Ottawa and the seat of the archdiocese. After the bishop's death, a monument to honor him was commissioned. It was sculpted by the artist Louis-Philippe Hébert and is located just outside the basilica. A school, village, and township all bear the bishop's name. And the priest who trained Guigues in Provence, Charles-Eugène de Mazenod, was canonized by Pope John Paul II on December 3, 1995, and is now Saint Eugène de Mazenod.
Bio by: Anne Philbrick
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