Vice-Provincial
Van de Velde continued to rise within the ranks of his order. In 1843 he became Vice-Provincial of the Society of Jesus. Three years later, as Western Provincial of the Jesuits, he attended an important council in Baltimore. He returned to St. Louis with a difficult itinerary by train through Boston, Albany, and Detroit, arriving in Chicago on June 13, 1846. He was hosted there by Chicago's bishop, William Quarter. Three days later, Van de Velde departed via stagecoach for the trip from Chicago to St. Louis. Two years after their brief meeting, Bishop Quarter of Chicago died suddenly on April 10, 1848. The papal bull announcing Van de Velde's appointment as the next Bishop of Chicago arrived in the United States in December 1848.
Read more about this topic: James Oliver Van De Velde