CANOZ, ALEXIS. – French Jesuit and missionary, born in Sellières (Jura) on 8 September 1805, died in Trichinopoly (India) on 2 December 1888.
Received into the Society in 1824, he departed in 1839 for the Madura mission, where he spent 49 years. Superior of the mission from 1844, he was appointed in 1847, through the intervention of Fr. Gius. BERTRAND, LOUIS (v.), its first apostolic vicar; he was the first Jesuit to receive episcopal dignity after the restoration of the Order in 1814. Nevertheless, he retained the office of regular superior until 1875. After Leo XIII introduced the ordinary hierarchy in India, he became the first bishop of Trichinopoly (1886). From 1859 to 1861, following the resignation of Mgr. Anast. Hartmann, he had been apostolic administrator of Bombay.
The episcopate of Mgr. C. was greatly troubled by the struggles of the Goan schism and by the difficulties arising from the concordat of 1857 and the dual jurisdiction. He demonstrated great strength of character and notable organizational abilities, combating Protestant propaganda, promoting schools, colleges, and seminaries, and the formation of the indigenous clergy.