The Most Reverend

Tan Sri The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...

Dominic Aloysius Vendargon (29 August 1909 – 3 August 2005) was a

Ceylon Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...

priest and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur.

Early life and family

Vendargon was born on 29 August 1909 in Naranthanai in northern Ceylon. Vendargon and his mother moved to Malaya, where his father worked as a surveyor, in 1910. Following the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Vendargon, his siblings and mother returned to Ceylon. After the war the family rejoined Vendargon's father in

Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Se ...

in 1919. The family moved to Malacca in 1923. Vendargon was educated at

St Patrick's College, Jaffna , motto_translation = By faith and labour , location = Mathews Road, Gurunagar , city = Jaffna , province = Northern Province , country = Sri Lanka , coordinates ...

, St Paul's, Seremban, and St Francis' Institution, Malacca. Despite his father wanting Vendargon to be a doctor, Vendargon entered the St Francis Xavier Seminary in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

in 1925 before transferring to the

College General The College General ( ms, Seminari Tinggi Katolik) is a Roman Catholic interdiocesan seminary located in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, Malaysia. The college's foundation can be traced back to the 1665 establishment of the Seminary of Saint Joseph in A ...

in Penang in 1927.

Career

Vendargon was ordained as a priest on 8 December 1934. As vicar for Indians in

Negri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the ...

he was responsible for the pastoral care of Roman Catholics working in the rubber plantations. He was transferred to Sungai Petani in

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

in 1941. After the

Japanese invasion of Malaya The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles betwee ...

, all of Vendargon's books and records were destroyed by Japanese troops. He spent the Japanese occupation years ministering to families in Kedah,

Perlis Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...

and Trengganu. After the war Vendargon started teaching at the College General in 1948 before becoming vicar for Indians in Johor Bahru and the

Singapore Naval Base His Majesty's Naval Base, Singapore, also Her Majesty's Naval Base, Singapore (HMNB Singapore), alternatively known as the Singapore Naval Base, Sembawang Naval Base and HMS Sembawang, was situated in Sembawang at the northern tip of Singapore ...

in 1949. He was transferred to Teluk Anson in 1950 before becoming vicar of St. Anthony's Church,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

in 1951, a post he held until 1955. Vendargon was appointed Bishop of Kuala Lumpur on 25 February 1955. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

as a bishop on 21 August 1955. He became the first Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur on 18 December 1972. He retired on 2 July 1983. 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. He was also the first president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism. He was made a

Panglima Setia Mahkota The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted on ...

in June 1968. Vendargon died on 3 August 2005 at an old peoples home in

Cheras, Kuala Lumpur Cheras (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Tsiâu-lai) is a suburban and a district, straddling both the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Hulu Langat District in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. The township is located to the south-east of downtown ...

run by the

Little Sisters of the Poor The Little Sisters of the Poor (french: Petites Sœurs des pauvres) is a Catholic religious institute for women. It was founded by Jeanne Jugan. Having felt the need to care for the many impoverished elderly who lined the streets of French towns ...

. He was buried in the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

of St. John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur. The Tan Sri Dominic Vendargon Foundation was named after Vendargon.

Honour

Honour of Malaysia

* : **

Commander of the

Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia The Most Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Setia Mahkota Malaysia) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country and awarded by the sovereign. The order was instituted ...

(P.S.M.) — Tan Sri (1968)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vendargon, Dominic 1909 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malaysia Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Jaffna Roman Catholic archbishops of Kuala Lumpur Malaysian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan Roman Catholics Sri Lankan Tamil priests Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia