FLAGET, BENEDICT JOSEPH (1763 1850). A bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in America. He was born in Contournat, Auvergne, France, and was educated at the Col lege of Billom, and at the College of the Sulpi tians at Clermont, becoming a member of that Order in 1783. Ile was ordained a priest in 1788. and held a professorship of dogmatic theology at the university at Nantes and at the Sulpitian Seminary at Angers. In 1792 he was compelled to flee from France, and settled in America, first at Baltimore, and later as chaplain at the military post of Vincennes, in the newly organized North west Territory. In 1795 he returned East and accepted a professorship in Georgetown College, where he remained three years. In 1798 he went to Havana, returning in 1801 with twenty-one Cuban students to be educated at Georgetown, where he resumed his professorship. in 1SOS be was appointed Bishop of Bardstown (Kentucky), with an extensive diocese that reached from the Alleghanies to the Mississjppi, and from the Great Lakes southward to the thirty-fifth paral lel. Ile spent the years 1808-10 in Europe, and
was consecrated on his return in the latter year. He entered upon his duties in the face of great difficult ies with remarkable energy, and his exertions wore crowned with unusual success. lie resigned his see in 1829, hut withdrew his resig nation on the universal demand for him to con tinue. By 1834 he had erected four colleges, a female orphan asylum, eleven academies for girls, and had introduced into his diocese three religions sisterhoods and four religious orders for men.
He spent the years 1835-39 in Europe. In 1841 the seat of his diocese was removed to Louisville, where his activities continued until his death.