Valerian Gracias

Valerian Gracias (October 23, 1900—September 11, 1978) was an Indian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Bombay from 1950 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.
==Biography==
Valerian Gracias was born in Karachi (in modern Pakistan) to José (d. 1902) and Carlota Gracias. His parents were from Navelim, Goa, working in Karachi.Profiles of eminent Goans, past and present by J. Clement Vaz, p. 45 He studied at St. Patrick's High School in Karachi, St. Joseph Seminary in Mangalore, and the Pontifical Seminary of Kandy in Ceylon (from where he obtained his doctorate in theology). Ordained to the priesthood on October 3, 1926, Gracias then did pastoral work in Bandra until 1927, when he entered the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome that November. He finished his studies at the Gregorian in 1929 and became private secretary to Archbishop Joachim Lima, SJ, and diocesan chancellor of Bombay. He served as preacher, pastor, and editor on various newspapers before being named the first Indian rector of Holy Name Cathedral in December 1941.
On May 16, 1946, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay and Titular bishop of Thennesus. Gracias received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Archbishop Thomas Roberts, SJ, with Bishops Victor Fernandes and Thomas Pothacamury serving as co-consecrators. Pope Pius XII promoted him to Archbishop of Bombay on December 4, 1950, and created him Cardinal Priest of S. Maria in Via Lata in the consistory of January 12, 1953. He thus became the first cardinal from IndiaTIME Magazine. A Cardinal for India January 5, 1953. Gracias was considered to be a conservativeTIME Magazine. In Search of a Pope August 21, 1978.
From 1954 to 1972, he was President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. Gracias was one of the cardinal electors in the 1958 papal conclave and again in the conclave of 1963. He attended the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), and along with Joseph Ritter, he assisted Grégoire-Pierre Agagianian in delivering one of the closing messages of the Council on December 8, 1965Christus Rex. To Youth. Falling ill in May 1978TIME Magazine. Milestones September 25, 1978, the Cardinal did not participate in the conclaves of August and October 1978.
Gracias died from cancer in Bombay, at age 77Ibid.. He was buried in Holy Name Cathedral.
He was awarded the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award on January 26, 1966.
==References==
==External links==
*Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
*Catholic-Hierarchy
Category:Cardinals created by Pope Pius XII
Gracias, Valerian
Gracias, Valerian
Gracias, Valerian
Category:Indian Roman Catholics
Gracias, Valerian
Gracias, Valerian
Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan
Category:People from Goa
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