Joseph Crétin (December 9, 1799 – February 22, 1857) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Saint Paul from 1851 until his death in 1857.
Early life and education
Joseph Crétin was born on December 9, 1799, in Montluel, in the Ain department of eastern France. His father, also named Joseph Crétin, worked as an innkeeper and baker. His mother, Mary Crétin (née Mery), was once imprisoned during the French Revolution for her Catholic faith. His great-uncle, Benoit Poncet, was a Carthusian monk who was executed by guillotine for refusing to swear an oath in support of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.
Crétin received his early education from the abbé at Montluel, and followed him when he was appointed to Courzieu in the neighboring department of Rhône. From 1814 to 1817, he attended the minor seminary at Meximieux, where one of his professors was Father Mathias Loras. He continued his studies at the minor seminaries in Sainte-Foy-l'Argentière and Alix. In 1820, he entered Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Paris, where he completed his theological studies.
Priesthood
Ministry in France
On December 20, 1823, Crétin was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Alexandre-Raymond Devie of the Diocese of Belley. He celebrated his first Mass at the church of Saint-Etienne in his native Montluel, where he was assisted by Father John Stephen Bazin (the future Bishop of Vincennes in Indiana). He was then appointed an assistant to the pastor of the church of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-André at Ferney-Voltaire. During this time, other priests of the Diocese of Belley included Fathers John Vianney and Peter Chanel, both of whom were later canonized.
While an assistant at Ferney-Voltaire, Crétin toured through France to raise funds for the construction of a new church building, which was consecrated in 1826. He also established a college for boys. In the spring of 1831, Crétin was nominated to become pastor of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-André by Bishop Devie, but this had to be approved by the Minister of Worship. He faced opposition from supporters of King Louis Philippe I, who considered him unloyal to the new government. However, his nomination was confirmed in December of that year and he remained pastor until 1838.
Missionary in the United States
Crétin had a desire to become a foreign missionary, and originally thought about working in China. They landed in New York City in October and St. Louis in November, but had to wait several months for the frozen Mississippi River to thaw before sailing to Iowa. They finally arrived in Dubuque in April 1839.
Upon his arrival in Dubuque, Loras appointed Crétin as vicar general of the diocese and rector of St. Raphael's Cathedral. In addition to these responsibilities, he served as the first president of St. Raphael's Seminary (now Loras College). In 1841, he succeeded Father Ravoux as pastor of St. Gabriel's Church at Prairie du Chien in the Wisconsin Territory.
During this time, Crétin also served as a missionary among the Winnebago Native Americans. In 1844, James MacGregor, the local Indian agent, nominated Crétin to be superintendent of the federal school for Winnebago children near Turkey River, calling him "a highly intelligent and useful man [who is] universally respected by all classes." However, Governor John Chambers refused to consider Crétin and fired MacGregor. More than two dozen Winnebago people later sent a petition to President James K. Polk to install Crétin, but this was also unsuccessful. Crétin then attempted to establish a Catholic school for Winnebago children a few miles from the federal school, but he was prohibited from doing so by Chambers, who wrote, "Missionary schools will not be permitted so near those under the control of the government as to produce a collision." In 1846, Chambers's successor, Governor James Clarke, offered to let Crétin build a Catholic school at least 30 miles from the federal school; Crétin rejected the proposal.
thumb|left|Bishop Joseph Cretin, first Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese of St. Paul, in casket.
At that time, the diocese, encompassed all of Minnesota and the Dakotas. After having obtained some donations and several ecclesiastics for his new diocese, he returned to America and arrived in St. Paul, July 2, 1851. That evening he made his first appearance in the log chapel of St. Paul, his first cathedral, and gave his first episcopal blessing to his flock. In less than five months a large brick building was completed, which served as a school, a residence, and a second cathedral. Another structure, begun in 1855, was finished after his death, and served as the cathedral of St. Paul until the present Cathedral was completed in 1915. In 1853 a hospital was built. That year, and again in 1856, he bought land for cemetery purposes. For the instruction of children he introduced, in 1851, a community of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and in 1855, the Brothers of the Holy Family. He also planned the erection of a seminary, and always eagerly fostered vocations for the priesthood, keeping at his residence seminarians in their last period of preparation. He supported likewise the cause of temperance not only by personal example, but also by organizing, in January 1852, the Catholic Temperance Society of St. Paul, the first of its kind in Minnesota. Another of his works was Catholic colonization. With an eye to the future he endeavored to provide for the growth of his diocese by bringing Catholic immigrants from European countries to the fertile plains of Minnesota. Withal he did not neglect his ministerial and pastoral office. He was often alone in St. Paul without the help of priest, and at times travelled through the vast extent of his diocese bestowing on his people the consolations of religion.