KOLLAM: Joseph Gabriel Fernandez, 97, the bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon, passed away here on Saturday. He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia at the Benziger Hospital in Kollam. He will be laid to rest at Infant Jesus Cathedral, Kollam, at 10 am on Monday.
Born on September 16, 1925, at Maruthurkulangara in Kollam, he joined St Raphael’s Minor Seminary in Kollam in 1939. He continued his seminary studies at St Teresa’s Seminary in Kollam and St Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary at Aluva. He was ordained a priest on March 19, 1949, by Bishop Jerome M Fernandez.
He was ordained the Bishop of Quilon in 1978. He retired from active episcopal ministry in 2001. He was also vice-president of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council, chairman of the CBCI Health Commission, and chairman of the Episcopal Commission for St Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolence over the death of Joseph Gabriel Fernandez.