Background
Joseph-Marie Birraux was born on 27 November 1883 in Bernex, France.
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Joseph-Marie Birraux
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In 1911 he was awarded a doctorate in canon law by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. That year he was assigned to Karema in Tanganyika, where he served as canonical counselor to Adolphe Lechaptois, the Vicar Apostolic. Birraux succeeded Lachaptois in 1920.
He was appointed Titular Bishop of Ombi and on 22 April 1920.
He was ordained as bishop on 23 June 1920 by Bishop Pierre-Lucien Campistron. He also tried to make the church less dependent on external sources for funding by introducing a tax on church members.
Birraux was succeeded as by January Cornelius van Sambeek. He succeeded Bishop Paul Voillard.
During World World War II Birraux was opposed to the armistice between France and Germany.
General Weygand visited Birraux in Algiers in 1941 and gained assurance that he would support the Vichy regime. In 1946 the society assumed responsibility for the mission in Beira, Mozambique. Birraux suffered from hypertension, and required treatment several times during the war years.
He underwent surgery twice in 1945.
He died from a cerebral hemorrhage on 30 April 1947. He was succeeded as Superior General by Bishop Louis-Marie-Joseph Durrieu.
Achievements
Membership
Despite the difficulties, from his base in Algiers he maintained contact with members of the society in France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, and also with missions in French Africa.
