Alphonsus Mathias

Alphonsus Mathias (22 June 1928 – 10 July 2024) was an Indian Roman Catholic archbishop of the archdiocese of Bangalore.

Alphonsus Mathias
Archbishop Emeritus of Bangalore
Archdiocese	Bangalore
Appointed	12 September 1986
Term ended	24 March 1998
Predecessor	Packiam Arokiaswamy
Successor	Ignatius Paul Pinto
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Chikmagalur (1963–1986)
Orders
Ordination	24 August 1954
Consecration	5 Feb 1964 by James Knox
Personal details
Born	(1928-06-22)22 June 1928 Pangala, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	10 July 2024(2024-07-10) (aged 96) Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Nationality	Indian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Residence	Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Parents	Diego Mathias and Philomena D’Souza
Motto	Sub tuum praesidium

Biography

Mathias was ordained a priest on 24 August 1954 and was appointed the bishop of the Diocese of Chikmagalur on 16 November 1963.^[1] The Apostolic Internuncio in India James Knox consecrated him on 5 February of the next year as bishop ; co-consecrators were Albert Vincent D'Souza, Archbishop of Calcutta, and Raymond D'Mello, Bishop of Allahabad.

Mathias attended the Second Vatican Council. On 12 September 1986, he was appointed Archbishop of Bangalore, a role in which he served until he resigned on 24 March 1998.^[2][3] He was the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India from 1989 to 1994.^[4]

Mathias died on 10 July 2024, at the age of 96.^[5]