Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux


Maximiano Valdés Subercaseaux

Bishop of Osorno
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
DioceseOsorno
SeeOsorno
Appointed20 June 1956
Installed18 October 1956
Term ended4 January 1982
PredecessorNone - diocese established
SuccessorMiguel Caviedes Medina
Orders
Ordination17 March 1934
by Giovanni Jeremich
Consecration16 September 1956
by Sebastiano Baggio
RankBishop
Personal details
BornMaximiano María Antonio Miguel Valdés Subercaseaux
(1908-09-23)23 September 1908
San Miguel, Santiago, Chile
Died4 January 1982(1982-01-04) (aged 73)
San Francisco Hospital, Pucón, Cautín, Chile
BuriedSt. Matthew's Cathedral, Osorno, Chile
MottoQuia amo Te ("Lord, You know that I love You")
Sainthood
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Attributes
  • Capuchin habit
  • Episcopal attire
Styles of
Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux
O.F.M. Cap.
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop
Posthumous styleVenerable

Maximiano Valdés Subercaseaux (23 September 1908 – 4 January 1982) - in religious Francisco - was a Chilean Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and served as the first Bishop of Osorno from 1956 until his death. Valdés discerned his call to the priesthood while with his parents in Europe and was ordained as a priest in Venice after completing his studies in Rome but continued further formation amongst the Franciscans in Europe before making his return to Chile. He was the first Chilean to have become a Capuchin friar. Valdés dedicated his episcopal career to the poor and he often visited the poor regions around his diocese while remaining a staunch advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Chile-Argentina border disputes; his last words also contained a desire for there to be peace between the two feuding nations.

The cause for his beatification was launched in 1998 and titled him as a Servant of God while Pope Francis declared Valdés to be Venerable on 7 November 2014 after recognizing his life of heroic virtue.