William Leonard D'Mello

William Leonard D'Mello (24 March 1931 – 19 July 2011) was the first Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Karwar, India.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

William Leonard D'Mello
Bishop of Karwar
ArchdioceseBangalore
DioceseKarwar
Appointed24 January 1976
Term ended24 February 2007
PredecessorInaugural
SuccessorDerek Fernandes
Orders
Ordination16 April 1957
Consecration29 April 1977
by Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy
Personal details
Birth nameWilliam Leonard D'Mello
Born24 March 1931
Mangalore
Died19 July 2011
Mangalore
BuriedCathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, Kajubag
NationalityIndian
DenominationRoman Catholic
ResidenceKarwar, Karnataka
MottoDuc in Altum

Born in Mangalore and ordained to the priesthood in 1957, D'Mello was named bishop of the Karwar Diocese in 1976 and retired in 2007.[1]

Early life

D'Mello was born on March 24, 1931, at Cascia, the third of six children born to Joseph and Santana D'Mello.[2]

Bishop of Karwar

On January 24, 1976, at 44 years of age, D'Mello was appointed Bishop of the newly-erected Diocese of Karwar by Pope Paul VI. His episcopal consecration took place only on April 29, 1977. Archbishop Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy served as Consecrator, assisted by Archbishop Packiam Arokiaswamy and Bishop Ignatius P. Lobo.[2]

One of D'Mello's key initiatives was promoting vocations to the priesthood and the religious life in his diocese. He encouraged young men to enter the seminary, and sought to bring more congregations of religious sisters into his new diocese.

Retirement

D'Mello submitted his resignation upon reaching the age of 75 as required by the 1983 Code of Canon Law and in February 2007, Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation and appointed Derek Fernandes as his successor.

In retirement, he lived at the 'Sandhya Vandan'. D'Mello died July 19, 2011, aged 80 and was buried in the Diocese of Karwar's Cathedral of the Assumption.[2]

References
  1. "Bishop William Leonard D'Mello". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  2. "Former Bishop of Karwar William D'Mello Passes Away at 82". Daijiworld Media. July 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2016.


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