Guillaume Laurent Louis Angebault was born in Rennes on June 17, 1790, the son of a lawyer in the Parliament of Brittany. Following his theological studies at the major seminary of Nantes, he was ordained to the priesthood on September 23, 1815. After several years in the ministry, especially in administration working as the secretary at the bishop’s house in Nantes and as honorary vicar general, he was recognized as a candidate for the see of Angers on May 23 of 1842 and consecrated bishop on August 10. During his episcopacy, two hundred and fifty churches or chapels were rebuilt or restored. He brought into his diocese some ten religious congregations of women and men, among whom were the Oblates.
It does not seem that Bishop de Mazenod ever met him, but he wrote him about ten letters from 1845 to 1860 and receive the same amount of communications from him. These letters dealt with the problems of the Church in France and of installing the Oblates in 1860, a project put forward by Abbé Loewenbruck, a friend of Bishop de Mazenod’s (See article: Angers). June 16, 1860, Bishop de Mazenod wrote the bishop: “Do not be surprised, My Lord, if I am much inclined to place several of our Oblates of Mary under your shepherd’s crook. We like to situate them close to Bishops like yourself.” (Oblate Writings, I, vol. 13, no. 180, p. 210) December 6 of 1860, he had plans to go to Angers and was happy to know that the bishop was satisfied with the ministry of the Oblates. Bishop Angebault died October 2, 1869.
Yvon Beaudoin, o.m.i.
