Maxime Decelles

Maxime Decelles (30 April 1849 – 7 July 1905) was a Canadian Roman Catholic bishop. He was the 5th Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe.^[1]

Maxime Decelles
Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe
Diocese	Saint-Hyacinthe
Installed	1901
Term ended	1905
Predecessor	Louis-Zéphirin Moreau
Successor	Alexis-Xyste Bernard
Other post	Coadjutor Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe (1893-1901)
Personal details
Born	(1849-04-30)30 April 1849
Died	7 July 1905(1905-07-07) (aged 56)

Life

Maxime Decelles was born in Saint-Damase-sur-Yamaska, Saint-Hyacinthe county, April 30, 1849 to François and Apolline Coderre-Lacaillade Decelles. He was educated at Saint-Hyacinthe Seminary and ordained at Iberville July 21, 1872 by Bishop Charles La Rocque.^[2]

He was first assigned to Saint-Denis, and then Beloeil. In 1875, Bishop Louis-Zéphirin Moreau made Decelles titular canon of the Cathédrale Saint-Hyacinthe-le-Confesseur. He resigned the canonry in 1880 and assumed charge of the church at Saint-Roch-de-Richelieu. In 1889, he was assigned to the larger parish of St. Peter's at Sorel.^[2]

Decelles was appointed coadjutor to Moreau and consecrated titular bishop of Druzipara on 9 March 1893. He continued as pastor at St. Peter's, and in 1898, on the Feast of St. Anne (July 26), led a pilgrimage by steamer from Sorel to the shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.^[3]

The elderly Moreau left external administration and tiring visits to his coadjutor. He died on 24 May 1901 and Decelles succeeded as bishop.^[4]