After completing his studies at the American College in Louvain, he was ordained priest in 1870 and immediately went to the United States, in the diocese of Richmond. He was parish priest of Harper's Ferry from 1875 to 1881, then was called to serve in the same capacity at the diocesan cathedral, later assuming the position of vicar general to Bishop Keane. When the latter was transferred to another office, Van de Vyver was raised to the episcopate and placed in charge of the vast Richmond diocese (1889). A prelate of wide learning and manifold activity, he was one of the most zealous North American bishops of his time and gave marked impetus to Catholicism. He was responsible for the construction of a new cathedral, necessitated by the growth of his flock; the founding and spreading of numerous Catholic associations (among which the Knights of Columbus were especially prominent); the establishment of schools, hospitals, charitable and cultural institutions. He promoted Catholic journalism and took an active part in social problems. He also fostered fruitful meetings of the American episcopate, thus winning widespread sympathy not only among Catholics but among all the inhabitants of Richmond, regardless of religious affiliation.
Renzo U. Montini