Jean Amoudru Catholic bishop, Dominican monk Date of Birth: 31.08.1878 Country: France

1. Birth and Education
2. Early Ministry
3. St. Petersburg Ministry
4. Apostolic Administrator of Leningrad
5. Later Life and Death

Birth and Education

Maurice-Marie Félix Amoudru was born on August 31, 1878, in Dole, France, to Stanislas Amoudru, a lawyer. He received a higher theological education and earned a doctorate in theology.

Early Ministry

In 1901, Amoudru was ordained a priest as Jean. From 1902 to 1907, he served in Canada as a teacher in Ottawa and later as a priest at the Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy in Montreal.

St. Petersburg Ministry

In 1907, Amoudru arrived in St. Petersburg to serve at the Church of St. Catherine. From 1908 to 1935, he became the rector of the Church of the French Mother of God. He also taught French at the St. Petersburg Catholic Seminary from 1907 to 1918.

Apostolic Administrator of Leningrad

In 1923, Amoudru became the administrator of the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and, in 1926, of St. Peter's Church in Kolpino. Due to a shortage of priests, he began servicing most Catholic churches in Leningrad and the surrounding areas in 1929.

On April 30, 1935, Amoudru was secretly consecrated as the Bishop of Pyrgos by Bishop Neveu and appointed the Apostolic Administrator of Leningrad. However, under pressure from the Soviet government, he was forced to leave the USSR on August 14, 1935.

Later Life and Death

From 1935 to 1936, Amoudru served as spiritual father to the Dominican Sisters in Chateau-Thierry, France. He then spent time as spiritual father at a monastery in Peney, Switzerland (1936-1951), a nursing home in Loire, France (1956-1958), and a nursing home in Rouen, France (1959-1961).

Bishop Maurice-Marie Félix Amoudru died on October 12, 1961, in Rouen. He was buried in the city's Bonsecours cemetery.