Early life Victor León Esteban San Miguel y Erce was born in
Lequeitio, a town in the province of
Biscay in the
Basque Country,
Spain.
Priesthood and Episcopal Ministry He was ordained a priest on June 1, 1928, in the
Order of Discalced Carmelites. After serving as a priest for many years, Victor León Esteban San Miguel y Erce was appointed as the
Apostolic Administrator of Kuwait on March 17, 1966. He served in this position for ten years until he was appointed as the
Titular Bishop of Rusubbicari and Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait on May 31, 1976. He was ordained bishop on July 16, 1976, at the St. Joseph and St. Therese of the Infant Jesus in
Baghdad,
Iraq, by Archbishop
Jean-Édouard-Lucien Rupp, the
Titular Archbishop of
Dionysiopolis, and was assisted by Archbishop
Annibale Bugnini, C.M., the Titular Archbishop of
Diocletiana, and Archbishop
Ernest-Marie de Jésus-Hostie Charles Albert Nyary, O.C.D., the
archbishop of Baghdad. As the apostolic vicar of Kuwait, Victor León Esteban San Miguel y Erce played an important role in the development of the Catholic Church in
Kuwait. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of several churches, including the
Holy Family Cathedral, which remains a major landmark in
Kuwait City.
Retirement Victor León Esteban San Miguel y Erce retired as the vicar apostolic of Kuwait on November 5, 1981, and returned to Spain. He died on April 4, 1995, in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, at the age of 90. ==References==