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Friday, November 4, 2022

 The last living bishop appointed by Blessed Pope John Paul has died.

Bishop Frantz Colimon, S.M.M., Bishop emeritus of Port-de-Paix, Haiti, died on the morning of November 4, 2022 at Port-au-Prince, in the Hôpital Saint-François de Sales.

Bishop Colimon was named Coadjutor Bishop of Port-de-Paix on September 18, 1978, ten days before the death of Pope John Paul. He received episcopal ordination on December 8, 1978 in the Cathedral of Port-de-Paix and succeeded to the See of Port-de-Paix on February 22, 1982 upon the resignation of Bishop Rémy Jérôme Augustin, S.M.M. He resigned as Bishop of Port-de-Paix on March 1, 2008.

May he rest in peace – Requiescat in pace – Paix à son âme

Saturday, October 1, 2022

 One less bishop in the von Bodman line

The von Bodman line has lost one living member with the death of Bishop Hubertus Leteng, Bishop emeritus of Ruteng, on 31 July 2022. May he rest in peace.

Here are the current living members of this line:

 *Archbishop Nicolaus Adi Seputra, M.S.C., of Merauke

*Bishop Patrick Hoogmartens of Hasselt
*Bishop Aloysius Murwito, O.F.M., of Agats
*Bishop Ewaldus Martinus Sedu of Maumere
*Bishop Dominikus Saku of Atambua
*Bishop Franciscus Kopong-Kung of Larantuka

*Bishop emeritus Gerulfus Kherubim Pareira, S.V.D., of Maumere
*Bishop Edmund Woga, C.Ss.R., of Weetebula
*Bishop emeritus Anton Pain Ratu, S.V.D., of Atambua  


Saturday, July 2, 2022

 

THE SIX LIVING COUNCIL FATHERS OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL 

Since February 1, 2022, three council fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965) have died, leaving a total of six living council fathers.

Bishop Gérard-Joseph Deschamps, S.M.M., emeritus of Bereina, Papua New Guinea, a native of Canada, died on February 25, 2022. He had attended the second and fourth sessions of the council.

Archbishop Gabino Díaz Merchán, emeritus of Oviedo, Spain, died on June 14, 2022. He had attended the fourth session of the council.

Bishop Laurent Noël, emeritus of Trois-Rivières, Canada, died on July 2, 2022 at the age of 102. He had attended the second, third, and fourth sessions of the council. At the time of his death he was the oldest living Roman Catholic bishop in the world.

May they rest in peace.

As a result of the deaths of these three distinguished prelates, the six living council fathers are:

Bishop Luigi Bettazzi, emeritus of Ivrea, Italy and Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi, emeritus of Kwangju, South Korea. They attended sessions two, three, and four.

Bishop José de Jesús Sahagún de la Parra, emeritus of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, who attended sessions one, two, and four.

Archbishop Alphonse Mathias, emeritus of Bangalore, India, who attended sessions three and four.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship & the Discipline of the Sacraments and Bishop Daniel Alphonse Omer Verstraete, O.M.I., emeritus of Klerksdorp, South Africa, who attended session four. 

Friday, April 8, 2022

       Dictionnaire biographique des évêques catholiques du Canada

The latest supplement to Jean LeBlanc’s excellent Dictionnaire biographique des évêques catholiques du Canada. Les diocèses catholiques canadiens des Églises latine et orientales et leurs évêques; repères chronologiques et biographiques, 1658-2012. 2e éd., revue et augmentée. Montréal, Wilson & Lafleur, 2012 (collection Gratianus, dirigée par Ernest Caparros) has been published.

It can be viewed and downloaded at the following url:

https://ustpaul.ca/upload-files/RCRHC/Supplement_au_Dictionnaire_biographique.pdf

 MORE CHANGES TO THE d’ESTOUTEVILLE LINE

Within two days the d’Estouteville line lost two members. On 30 March 2022, Bishop Mathew Cheriankunnel, P.I.M.E., emeritus of Kurnool, passed away and on 1 April 2022, Bishop Innayya Chinna Addagatla, emeritus of Srikakulam died. There was an interesting connection between these two bishops. Bishop Cheriankunnel was the first bishop of the Diocese of Nalgonda and Bishop Addagatla was Nalgonda’s second bishop. May they rest in peace.

Their deaths reduce the number of living members of the d’Estouteville line to thirty-nine.

Thomas Jessayan Netto, Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Latins

Maria Callist Soosa Packiam, Archbishop emeritus of Trivandrum of the Latins

Francis Kallarakal, Archbishop emeritus of Verapoly

Malayappan Chinnappa, S.D.B., Archbishop emeritus of Madras and Mylapore

Vincent Louis Marie Landel, S.C.J. de Beth., Archbishop emeritus of Rabat

Joseph Luechai Thatwisai, Bishop of Udon Thani, Thailand

Philip Banchong Chaiyara, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

Sebastian Thekethecheril, Bishop of Vijayapuram

Selvister Ponnumuthan, Bishop of Punalur

Christudas Rajappan, Titular Bishop of Avitta Bibba, Auxiliary of Trivandrum of the Latins

Paul Maipan, Bishop of Khammam

Singaroyan Sebastianappan, Bishop emeritus of Salem

Peter Remigius, Bishop emeritus of Kottar

Jerome Das Varuvel, S.D.B., Bishop emeritus of Kuzhithurai

Amalraj Arulappan, Bishop of Ootacamund

Antonysamy Francis, Bishop of Kumbakonam

Devadoss Ambrose Mariadoss, Bishop of Tanjore

Nazarene Soosai, Bishop of Kottar

 *Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Lille

*Antoine Henry Pierre Marie Hérouard, Archbishop of Dijon

*Yves Boivineau, Bishop of Annecy

*Alain Planet, Bishop of Carcassonne et Narbonne

*Philippe Christory, Bishop of Chartres

*Michel Pansard, Bishop of Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes

*François Jacolin, M.D.P., Bishop of Luçon

*Jean-Christophe Lagleize, Bishop emeritus of Metz

*Jean-Marie Le Vert, Titular Bishop of Briançonnet and Auxiliary of Bordeaux

*Jean-Paul Vuillemin, Titular Bishop of Thérouanne and Auxiliary of Metz

*Armand Maillard, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges

*Hubert Barbier, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges

*Guy Thomazeau, Archbishop emeritus of Montpellier

*Bernard Aubertin, O.Cist., Archbishop emeritus of Tours

*Gilbert Louis, Bishop emeritus of Châlons

*Bernard Housset, Bishop emeritus of La Rochelle

*Jean-Charles Thomas, Bishop emeritus of Versailles

*Gérard Coliche, Titular Bishop of Alet and former Auxiliary of Lille

*Alphonse Georger, Bishop emeritus of Oran

 **Raphaël Dabiré Kusiélé, Bishop of Diébougou

**Jean Baptiste Kpiéle Somé, Bishop emeritus of Diébougou

 The bishops with an * are the original d'Estouteville group plus additions to their number since the combination of other lineages.  The two bishops with ** are those who were previously known as the Ravizza line.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

 BISHOPS & PONTIFICATES

 As of 17 February 2022, the more than 5,400 living Catholic bishops owe their appointments to one  of six popes:

            Pope St. John XXIII

            Pope St. Paul VI

            Pope John Paul (soon to be beatified)

            Pope Saint John Paul II

            Pope Benedict XVI (now emeritus)

            Pope Francis

 The pontificates of Pope St. John XXIII and Pope John Paul each have only one living bishop.

 The last surviving bishop from the pontificate of Pope St. John XXIII is Bishop José de Jesús Sahagún de la Parra, Bishop emeritus of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. He celebrated his 100th birthday on 1 January 2022.

 Bishop Frantz Colimon, S.M.M., Bishop emeritus of Port-de-Paix, Haiti, and the last surviving bishop from the pontificate of Pope John Paul, celebrated his 87th birthday on 10 July 2021. 

 THE NINE LIVING COUNCIL FATHERS OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL 

With the death of Bishop Rémi Joseph De Roo, emeritus of Victoria, Canada, on 1 February 2022, there are only nine living council fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962- 1965).

Bishop Laurent Noël, emeritus of Trois-Rivières, Canada; Bishop Luigi Bettazzi, emeritus of Ivrea, Italy; and Archbishop Victorinus Kong-hi Youn, emeritus of Kwangju, South Korea, attended sessions two, three, and four.

Bishop José de Jesús Sahagún de la Parra, emeritus of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, attended sessions one, two, and four.

Bishop Gérard-Joseph Deschamps, S.M.M., emeritus of Bereina, Papua New Guinea, attended sessions two and four.

Archbishop Alphonse Mathias, emeritus of Bangalore, India, attended sessions three and four.

 Cardinal Francis Arinze, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship & the Discipline of the Sacraments; Archbishop Gabino Díaz Merchán, emeritus of Oviedo, Spain; and Bishop Daniel Alphonse Omer Verstraete, O.M.I., emeritus of Klerksdorp, South Africa, attended session four. 

 AN ADDITION TO THE d’ESTOUTEVILLE LINE

On 2nd February 2022, Pope Francis accepted the resignation from the pastoral government of the Archdiocese of Trivandrum of the Latins presented by Archbishop Maria Callist Soosa Pakiam. The Holy Father appointed Father Thomas Jessayyan Netto to be the new Metropolitan Archbishop of that see.

Archbishop-elect Netto is scheduled to receive episcopal ordination on 19 March 2022 with Archbishop Soosa Pakiam as the principal ordaining bishop. Barring any changes to the schedule, the new archbishop will become the newest member of the d’Estouteville line.

Ad Multos Annos !

Once Archbishop-elect Netto has received episcopal ordination, the d’Estouteville line will be composed of 41 living members, as noted below.

Thomas Jessayan Netto, Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Latins

Maria Callist Soosa Packiam, Archbishop emeritus of Trivandrum of the Latins

Francis Kallarakal, Archbishop emeritus of Verapoly

Malayappan Chinnappa, S.D.B., Archbishop emeritus of Madras and Mylapore

Vincent Louis Marie Landel, S.C.J. de Beth., Archbishop emeritus of Rabat

Joseph Luechai Thatwisai, Bishop of Udon Thani, Thailand

Philip Banchong Chaiyara, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

Sebastian Thekethecheril, Bishop of Vijayapuram

Selvister Ponnumuthan, Bishop of Punalur

Christudas Rajappan, Titular Bishop of Avitta Bibba, Auxiliary of Trivandrum of the Latins

Mathew Cheriannkunnel, P.I.M.E., Bishop emeritus of Kurnool

Innayya Chinna Addagatla, Bishop emeritus of Srikakulam

Paul Maipan, Bishop of Khammam

Singaroyan Sebastianappan, Bishop emeritus of Salem

Peter Remigius, Bishop emeritus of Kottar

Jerome Das Varuvel, S.D.B., Bishop emeritus of Kuzhithurai

Amalraj Arulappan, Bishop of Ootacamund

Antonysamy Francis, Bishop of Kumbakonam

Devadoss Ambrose Mariadoss, Bishop of Tanjore

Nazarene Soosai, Bishop of Kottar

 *Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Lille

*Antoine Henry Pierre Marie Hérouard, Archbishop of Dijon

*Yves Boivineau, Bishop of Annecy

*Alain Planet, Bishop of Carcassonne et Narbonne

*Philippe Christory, Bishop of Chartres

*Michel Pansard, Bishop of Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes

*François Jacolin, M.D.P., Bishop of Luçon

*Jean-Christophe Lagleize, Bishop emeritus of Metz

*Jean-Marie Le Vert, Titular Bishop of Briançonnet and Auxiliary of Bordeaux

*Jean-Paul Vuillemin, Titular Bishop of Thérouanne and Auxiliary of Metz

*Armand Maillard, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges

*Hubert Barbier, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges

*Guy Thomazeau, Archbishop emeritus of Montpellier

*Bernard Aubertin, O.Cist., Archbishop emeritus of Tours

*Gilbert Louis, Bishop emeritus of Châlons

*Bernard Housset, Bishop emeritus of La Rochelle

*Jean-Charles Thomas, Bishop emeritus of Versailles

*Gérard Coliche, Titular Bishop of Alet and former Auxiliary of Lille

*Alphonse Georger, Bishop emeritus of Oran

 **Raphaël Dabiré Kusiélé, Bishop of Diébougou

**Jean Baptiste Kpiéle Somé, Bishop emeritus of Diébougou

 The bishops with an * are the original d'Estouteville group plus additions to their number since the combination of other lineages.  The two bishops with ** are those who were previously known as the Ravizza line.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

THE TEN LIVING COUNCIL FATHERS OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL 

With the death of Bishop Eloy Tato Losada, I.E.M.E., on 18 January 2022, there are only ten living council fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962- 1965).

Bishop Rémi Joseph De Roo, emeritus of Victoria, Canada, attended all four council sessions.

Bishop Laurent Noël, emeritus of Trois-Rivières, Canada; Bishop Luigi Bettazzi, emeritus of Ivrea, Italy; and Archbishop Victorinus Kong-hi Youn, emeritus of Kwangju, South Korea, attended sessions two, three, and four.

Bishop José de Jesús Sahagún de la Parra, emeritus of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, attended sessions one, two, and four.

Bishop Gérard-Joseph Deschamps, S.M.M., emeritus of Bereina, Papua New Guinea, attended sessions two and four.

Archbishop Alphonse Mathias, emeritus of Bangalore, India, attended sessions three and four.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, former Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship & the Discipline of the Sacraments; Archbishop Gabino Díaz Merchán, emeritus of Oviedo, Spain; and Bishop Daniel Alphonse Omer Verstraete, O.M.I., emeritus of Klerksdorp, South Africa, attended session four. 

 The Longest Serving Living Bishop has died 

 

On 18 January 2022, Bishop Eloy Tato Losada, I.E.M.E., Bishop emeritus of Magangué, Colombia, ended his earthly journey and returned to the house of the Father. His death occurred at 9:30 p.m. in the hospital in the town of O Barco de Valdeorras, Spain.

At the time of his death, Bishop Tato held several distinctions in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church:

·        He was the longest serving living bishop by date of episcopal ordination. He was ordained Titular Bishop of Cardicium and Vicar Apostolic of San Jorge, Colombia, on 25 July 1960 in the cathedral of Astorga, Spain.

·        He was one of only three living bishops appointed during the pontificate of Pope St. John XXIII.

·        He was one of eleven living council fathers of the Second Vatican Council.

·        He was the oldest living Spanish-born bishop.

 

Descanse en paz – Requiescat in pace – Rest in peace.