John Baptist Miège, S.J. (September 18, 1815 – July 21, 1884), was a Jesuitprelate and missionary. In addition to a career in education, he served as Vicar Apostolic of Kansas from 1851 to 1874.
Early life
Miège was born in a house called La Forêt, in the village of Mercury (close to Albertville), in the Duchy of Savoy[1][2] as the youngest son of a wealthy and pious family.[3] At a young age he was committed to the care of his brother Urban, who was director of the diocesanseminary of Moûtiers.[4] After completing his literary course at age 19, he was dissuaded from a career in the army and remained at Moûtiers for two years, studying philosophy.[3]
Miège conducted extensive pastoral visitations throughout the wild and remote regions over which his congregation was scattered, visiting the Indian villages, forts, trading posts, and growing towns and celebrating Mass on the rear end of his wagon.[4][5] He also founded a girls' school for the Osages, placing it under the care of the Sisters of Loretto.[4] In August 1855, he established his episcopal see at the prosperous city of Leavenworth in order to better minister to the growing number of white settlers there.[3] As the number of churches and schools increased, Nebraska was formed into a separate vicariate in 1857 and the Kansas Territory was left under Miège's jurisdiction.[6]
He erected an episcopal residence in 1863, and laid the cornerstone of Immaculate Conception Cathedral in September 1864 and dedicated it in December 1868.[3] The cathedral left the vicariate in a debt of $100,000, which he reduced by about half after a trip to South America.[3] He then attended the First Vatican Council from 1869 to 1870.[1] In 1871, desiring a return to the private ranks of the Jesuits, Miège sent his petition to be relieved of his office to the Holy See, which instead gave him Louis Mary Fink, O.S.B., as a coadjutor.[5] His resignation as Vicar Apostolic was later accepted on November 18, 1874.[1] He left 48 priests and 71 churches.[4]
Miège returned to Woodstock in 1880, and was stricken with paralysis in 1883.[4] He later died there, aged 68. There are reports that he received a burn while in Woodstock that contributed to his death.[7]