EPALLE, JEAN-BAPTISTE. - Marist missionary, titular bishop of Sion and first vicar apostolic of Melanesia and Micronesia, b. at Roy (Loire) on 8 March 1808 and d. on 15 Dec. 1845. He professed in the Society of Mary (Marists) on 16 July 1858 and obtained in that same year permission to set out for Oceania. He exercised his apostolate in New Zealand, among the Maori.

Momentarily recalled to Europe by his superiors to deal with the interests of the mission, he was proposed by them as vicar apostolic of the two vicariates of Melanesia and Micronesia, established by Gregory XVI (19 July 1844) with the brief Ex debito. After his episcopal consecration he set out with 14 confreres for his missions and, having arrived at Isabel Island (Solomons), scarcely had he landed (12 Dec. 1845) when he fell struck dead by the natives with three fatal axe blows and two spear thrusts. He expired three days later on the ship, clasping the crucifix in his hands.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: L. Verzuet, Histoire de la première mission catholique au vicariat de Mélanésie. Caressanne 1884, pp. 3-105; A. Monfat, Les origines de la foi catholique dans la Nouvelle-Zélande; Les Maures, Lione 1896, p. 146; id., Dix années en Mélanésie, ivi 1925, pp. 32-127; L. M. Raucz, Vingt-cinq années d'apostolat aux îles Salomon méridionales, ivi 1925, pp. 258-59.

Cesare Bertola

@incollection{ec5_epalle_jean_baptiste, author = {Bertola, Cesare}, title = {Epalle, jean-baptiste}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {404--405}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/epalle-jean-baptiste} }

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Epalle, Jean-Baptiste

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