vicar apostolic. Born October 11, 1814, at Lempdes, France, Lamy was
educated and ordained in the Diocese of Clermont. In 1839, with a friend
and fellow priest, Joseph Projectus Machbeuf, Lamy accompanied Bishop of
United States. The two young priests served the Ohio mission field for more than a decade.
Machebeuf, finally arrived in Santa Fe, he was well received by the people. However, a
dispute arose as to the geographical boundaries of the new diocese. To deal with this
impasse, he and the local Vicar journeyed far into Mexico to obtain assistance from the
priest's former bishop.
meantime, he had brought the Sisters of Loretto from Kentucky to open an academy in
Santa Fe; and during the following years, he enlisted European priests, as well as preaching
and teaching orders, to serve in the episcopate.
neys. His diocese covered the sparsely settled areas of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado,
as well as parts of Utah. Lamy usually traveled alone or with a servant. On one occasion,
the bishop defended his small wagon train against an all-day Indian attack. Lamy worked
for the welfare of all the people of his territory: Indian, Hispanic, French- or Anglo-
American and so on. The establishment of schools (hardly any had existed before) and a
hospital were among his priorities, as well as the building of churches. To carry out his