Ubaldo Teofano Stella (Cassano d'Adda, 14 July 1910 - Milan, 9 November 1978) was an Italian Catholic bishop and missionary who served as the Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait from 1955 to 1966. He was also the

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Antaeopolis.

Life

Early Life and Priestly Formation

Teofano Ubaldo Stella was born in

Cassano d'Adda Cassano d'Adda (Milanese: ; Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the province of Bergamo ...

, in the province of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, on 14 July 1910. He felt the vocation to the priesthood at a very young age and for this reason he entered the seminary where his father, a railwayman, had moved for when he was still a child. In 1925, when his father was assigned to Milan-Turin and took up permanent residence in

Boffalora sopra Ticino Boffalora sopra Ticino (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about west of Milan. Boffalora sopra Ticino borders the following municipalities: Marcallo con Casone, B ...

, Teofano entered the Monza seminary where he completed his studies, deciding to enter the

Discalced Carmelite The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

Order. On 5 October 1927 he made his solemn vows in the convent of Concesa.

Priestly Ministry and Missionary Work

On October 28, 1932, he was ordained a priest. He was then sent to

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

where he became a teacher in a school of the order. From 1936 to 1940 he served as a

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

. Shortly afterwards he left as a missionary for

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, where he remained from 1940 to 1946, also spending several years in

British concentration camps During the Second Anglo-Boer War which lasted from 1899–1902, the British operated concentration camps in South Africa: the term "concentration camp" grew in prominence during that period. The camps had originally been set up by the British Arm ...

. Returning to Italy he did not stop his vocation to evangelization and left for the Middle East where in 1948 he founded the mission in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Episcopal ministry

On June 4, 1955, Pope Pius XII appointed Stella as the

of Antaeopolis and the Apostolic Vicar of Kuwait. 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 October 3, 1955, in the

cathedral of Milan Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombard ...

from the Metropolitan Archbishop of Milan,

Giovanni Battista Montini 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 State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

. Co-consecrators included the

Bishop of Lodi The Diocese of Lodi ( la, Dioecesis Laudensis) is an Italian Roman Catholic territorial entity that existed since the 4th century; it is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan.Tarcisio Vincenzo Benedetti Tarcisio Vincenzo Benedetti (28 October 1899 - 24 May 1972) was the Italian Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lodi from his appointment by Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 M ...

, and the Bishop of Trivandrum,

Vincent Victor Dereere Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

, both of the

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

order. Stella began construction of the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the Desert in Kuwait City, blessing its foundation stone in 1957 and consecrating it upon its completion four years later on March 16, 1961. From 1962 to 1965, he was one of the conciliar fathers of 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) ...

, taking part in all four sessions.

Resignation and Death

In March 1966,

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 ...

accepted Stella's resignation from the pastoral government of the vicariate and he returned to Milan. In 1974, he attempted to go on a mission to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, but due to his advanced age and frequent illnesses, he decided to stay permanently in

and dedicated himself to preaching there. Stella died in Milan on November 9, 1978, at the age of 68. After his funeral, his body was buried in the cemetery of

Legacy

Stella is remembered for founding the mission in Kuwait. He is also known for his role in the construction of the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the Desert in

Kuwait City Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...

, which still stands as a testament to his contributions. In addition, the Kuwaiti postal service issued a commemorative stamp in his honor in 1965.

References

{{s-end 1910 births 1978 deaths Catholic bishops Roman Catholic bishops in the Middle East Catholic missionaries in Arabia