Alexis Bachelot

Alexis Bachelot, SS.CC., was a Roman Catholic priest best known for his tenure as the first Prefect Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands. In that role, he led the first permanent Catholic mission to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Bachelot was raised in France, where he attended the Irish College in Paris, and was ordained a priest in 1820. He led the first Catholic mission to Hawaii, arriving in 1827. Although he had expected the approval of then Hawaiian King Kamehameha160II, he learned upon arrival that Kamehameha160II had died and a new government that was hostile towards Catholic missionaries had been installed. Bachelot, however, was able to convert a small group of Hawaiians and quietly minister to them for four years before being deported in 1831 on the orders of Kaahumanu, the Kuhina Nui of Hawaii.

Bachelot was born in SaintCyrlaRosire, Orne, France on February 22, 1796. In 1806, he left home for Paris, where he enrolled in the Preparatory Seminary of Picpus to pursue priesthood. In 1813, he professed at the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, taking the name Alexis. He studied at the Irish College in Paris before being ordained as a priest in 1820. As a priest, he initially served as the Colleges rector and later led the preparatory seminary at Tours.

Source: Wikipedia