Lawrence Trevor Picachy (7 August 1916 – 30 November 1992), was an Indian

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, spiritual guide of

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...

, and later

Archbishop of Calcutta The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Calcutta ( la, Archidioecesis Calcuttensis) is an ecclesiastical Latin Church territory of the Catholic Church in India. History The archdiocese was originally erected as the Apostolic Vicariate ...

(1969 to 1992). He was elevated to the

cardinalate The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...

in 1976.

Biography

Cardinal Pichachy was born in Darjeeling of Irish Catholic parents who had immigrated to India in 1911. After completing the Higher Secondary Cambridge course at St. Joseph's School in Darjeeling, Picachy entered the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, more commonly known as the Jesuits, in 1934. Novitiate training in St. Stanislaus College (

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

), was followed by Philosophical studies at Sacred Heart College in Shembaganur. After a stint as a teacher in St. Xavier's Collegiate School,

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, he spent four years at St. Mary College (

Kurseong Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision. Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughout ...

) for the

Theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

studies preparing for the priesthood. Picachy 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 va ...

to the priesthood on 21 November 1947, and served as a professor and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St Xavier's (school and college), in Calcutta, from 1950 to 1960, whence he began

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

work in Basanti. On 12 July 1962, Picachy was appointed the first Bishop of Jamshedpur by

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on the following 9 September from Archbishop

James Knox James Robert Knox GCC (2 March 1914 – 26 June 1983) was an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church. After years as a Vatican diplomat, he served as Archbishop of Melbourne from 1967 to 1974, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worshi ...

, with Archbishop Pius Kerketta, S.J., and Bishop

Augustine Wildermuth Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

, S.J., serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. Picachy attended the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

from 1962 to 1965, and was promoted to

on 29 May 1969. He was later named President of the Indian Episcopal Conference in 1976.

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

created him

Cardinal Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of ''

Sacro Cuore di Maria Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Immaculate Heart of Mary), is a titular church in Piazza Euclide, Rome. It was built by the architect Armando Brasini (1879–1965). Its construction began in 1923 with the design of a Greek ...

'' in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

of 24 May 1976. Picachy was one of the

cardinal electors A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

who participated in the

conclaves A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

respectively. He resigned his post as Archbishop on 5 April 1986, after sixteen years of service. The Cardinal died in Calcutta, at age 76. He is buried at the Jesuit Dhyanashram cemetery in

Thakurpukur Thakurpukur is a region of South West Kolkata in Behala area of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is majorly a residential region. It has been rapidly developed in the last 20 years and what was a jungle before is now an urban agglomeration in ...

, Calcutta.

Writings

* (as Trevor Picachy) ''A Great Achievement: Episcopal Silver Jubilee Souvenir of His Grace, Dr.

Ferdinand Perier Ferdinand Perier, SJ (22 September 1875, Antwerp, Belgium – 10 November 1968, Calcutta, India), was a Belgian Jesuit priest, a missionary in British India, and the third Archbishop of Calcutta (now Kolkata). Early years Fernandus Augustus ...

, S.J., D.D., Archbishop of Calcutta, December 21, 1921—December 21, 1946'' (Calcutta: Catholic Association of Bengal, 1946) *

External links

Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Picachy, Lawrence T. 1916 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Indian Jesuits Indian cardinals Jesuit cardinals 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in India Participants in the Second Vatican Council People from Darjeeling Christian clergy from Kolkata Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Indian people of Irish descent Roman Catholic archbishops of Calcutta