Dominic Vendargon | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur | |
 Vendargon as Archbishop, c.1960s | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Kuala Lumpur |
| Installed | 18 December 1972 |
| Term ended | 2 July 1983 |
| Successor | Anthony Soter Fernandez |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 8 December 1934 |
| Consecration | 21 August 1955 by Michel Olçomendy, Louis-August Chorin and Charles Joseph van Melckebeke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1909-08-29)29 August 1909 Naranthanai,Ceylon |
| Died | 3 August 2005(2005-08-03) (aged 95) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Buried | St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur |
| Alma mater | St Francis Xavier Seminary College General |
Dominic Aloysius Vendargon (29 August 1909 – 3 August 2005) was aCeylon Tamil priest andRoman CatholicArchbishop of Kuala Lumpur.
Vendargon was born on 29 August 1909 in Naranthanai in northernCeylon.[1][2] Vendargon and his mother moved toMalaya, where his father worked as a surveyor, in 1910.[1] Following the outbreak ofWorld War I Vendargon, his siblings and mother returned to Ceylon.[1] After the war the family rejoined Vendargon's father inSeremban in 1919.[1] The family moved toMalacca in 1923.[1]
Vendargon was educated atSt Patrick's College, Jaffna,St Paul's, Seremban, andSt Francis' Institution, Malacca.[1]
Despite his father wanting Vendargon to be a doctor, Vendargon entered the St Francis Xavier Seminary inSingapore in 1925 before transferring to theCollege General inPenang in 1927.[1]
Vendargon was ordained as a priest on 8 December 1934.[1][2] As vicar forIndians inNegri Sembilan he was responsible for thepastoral care of Roman Catholics working in the rubber plantations.[1][3] He was transferred toSungai Petani inKedah in 1941.[1][3] After theJapanese invasion of Malaya, all of Vendargon's books and records were destroyed by Japanese troops.[1] He spent theJapanese occupation years ministering to families in Kedah,Perlis,Kelantan andTrengganu.[1][3]
After the war Vendargon started teaching at the College General in 1948 before becoming vicar for Indians inJohor Bahru and theSingapore Naval Base in 1949.[1][3] He was transferred toTeluk Anson in 1950 before becoming vicar of St. Anthony's Church,Kuala Lumpur in 1951, a post he held until 1955.[1][3]
Vendargon was appointedBishop of Kuala Lumpur on 25 February 1955.[1][2] He wasordained as a bishop on 21 August 1955.[2] He became the first Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on 18 December 1972.[1][2] He retired on 2 July 1983.[2][3]
Vendargon was a member of the Association for the Promotion of Higher Education Malaysia, the Guild of Catholic Assisted Schools Malaysia and Malaysian Inter-Religious Association.[1] He was also the first president of theMalaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism.[1][3] He was made aPanglima Setia Mahkota in June 1968.[3][4]
Vendargon died on 3 August 2005 at anold peoples home inCheras, Kuala Lumpur run by theLittle Sisters of the Poor.[3][4] He was buried in thenave ofSt. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur.[3] The Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon Foundation was named after Vendargon.[5]
Malaysia
Commander of theOrder of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) –Tan Sri (1968)[6]
