Angus Bernard MacEachern

Angus Bernard MacEachern (February 8, 1759 – April 22, 1835) was a Scottish Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church who rose to become the first Bishop of the newly-formed Diocese of Charlottetown following its separation from the Archdiocese of Quebec on August 11, 1829.

MacEachern was born in Kinlochmoidart, Scotland, the son of Hugh Bàn MacEachern and Mar MacDonald. He received his seminary training in Spain, for Catholic training in the British Isles was forbidden at the time. MacEachern arrived on Prince Edward Island, then a British colony in North America known as St. John's Island, in 1790 as a young missionary, joining his emigrant family. MacEachern, who would later be recognized as firmly placing Catholic roots in the colony as well as throughout the Maritimes, travelled endlessly in the area as a priest. He was fluent in English, French, and Gaelic, therefore permitting him to minister to a variety of different cultures in the region.

In 1816, while serving as priest in Charlottetown, MacEachern was advised by a visiting Bishop from Quebec to build a church in the city and dedicate it to St. Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church was the first of several that would occupy the lot where the present cathedral stands today.

In 1819, MacEachern became Vicar General for most of the Maritimes as well as becoming a Bishop, and by the 1820s he was convinced that the only way to renew the area's religious beliefs was independence from the neglectful Archdiocese of Quebec. MacEachern finally got his wish when the Diocese of Charlottetown, comprising of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and the Magdalen Islands was created in 1829, with MacEachern appointed as its first Bishop.

In 1831, MacEachern founded St. Andrew's College, located in his large home in St. Andrew's, PEI, which would offer preliminary training for seminarians.

Much loved by his people, Bishop MacEachern died in 1835 in Canavoy, Prince Edward Island. His funeral took place in St. Andrew's Church, with burial in the church basement. His remains now lie in the crypt of a nearby chapel.

References

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2987 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004888 The Canadian Encyclopedia : Bishop Angus Bernard MacEachern]
* [http://www.umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/ccha/Back%20Issues/CCHA1945-46/Mullally.html/ UManitoba : Bishop Angus MacEachern]