Ubagarasamy Bernadeth

Ubagarasamy Bernadeth or Oubagaraswami Bernadotte or Ubagaraswamy Bernadette (12 February 1899 – 5 February 1949) was the bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Coimbatore from 9 Apr 1940 till his death. He was the first indigenous person from the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore to receive episcopal ordination.

Monseigneur Ubagarasamy Bernadeth
Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Coimbatore
Native name	உபகாரசாமி பெர்னதெத்
Church	Catholic
Diocese	Coimbatore
See	Coimbatore
Appointed	9 April 1940
Predecessor	Marie-Louis-Joseph-Constantin Tournier
Successor	Francis Xavier Muthappa
Orders
Ordination	23 May 1925 by Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel
Consecration	25 July 1940 by Auguste-Siméon Colas
Personal details
Born	12 February 1899 Oulgaret parish, Rettiarpalayam, Pondicherry
Died	5 February 1949 (aged 49)
Nationality	Indian
Denomination	Catholic

He was born in Oulgaret parish, Rettiarpalayam, Pondicherry. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Pondicherry on 23 May 1925. He worked as a professor at Petit Seminaire where he inaugurated the Eucharistic Crusade. His example was followed by other parishes such as Attipakkam, Irudayampet and Viriyur.[1] He was appointed the Bishop of Coimbatore on 9 April 1940. He was consecrated by Auguste-Siméon Colas on 25 July 1940 at Coimbatore. He was the first Indigenous Bishop to be appointed in Coimbatore. He founded the workers association and arranged Sundays be declared as government holidays by all the mills. He encouraged the Presentation Sisters to take up the medical work and founded many schools and hospitals in the diocese.

On 26 May 1945, the First order of St. Francis of Assisi, a religious organization for women, under the name, Franciscan Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, with the assent of bishop Ubagarasamy was established.[2]

He died suddenly at the age of 50 while on his way to visit his Metropolitan, the Archbishop of Pondicherry.[3]

Name Sakes

• Bishop Ubagaraswamy Higher Secondary School, Angeripalayam Main Rd, M G R Nagar, Weavers Colony Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu 641603, India

References

1. P. A., Sampath Kumar; Carof, André (1999). History of Pondicherry Mission: An Outline (a translation from French). Chennai: Department of Christian Studies, University of Madras. p. 253.
2. Franciscan Sisters of the Presentation of Mary 26.05.1946 - Published on : 23-SEP-2011
3. "Indian bishop dies". Catholic Herald. 18 March 1949. p. 5. Retrieved 6 December 2012.

External links

• Bishop Oubagaraswami Bernadotte at Catholic Hierarchy