Name Clement Sethupathy | ||
Clement Sethupathy was an Asian Catholic priest.
Biography
Sethupathy was born in Sri Lanka on April 21, 1936. He had his early education at St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa and completed his schooling at St. Anthony's College, Katugastota, in 1954. He entered the Benedictine Novitiate at Monte Fano, Ampitiya. He began formal religious studies at the National Seminary in 1956 after his first religious profession. In 1962, he left the Benedictines and for two years he worked for De Mazenod College, Kandana.
On 29 April 1964, Sethupathy left Sri Lanka in response to a call from the late Bishop Francis Cialeo, OP former Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad, Pakistan, to work as a missionary in that country.
He completed the last two years of his priestly studies at Christ the King Seminary, Karachi, and was ordained a priest on 29 December 1965 in Pakistan. While studying the Urdu language he began working in different parishes in the diocese. In 1969 he was appointed Principal of St. Albert's Urdu High School, Gojra, where he worked for three years.
In 1977, he was sent to Rome for his licenciate in Canon Law which he completed in 1979. In 1988, he was sent to Rome again and obtained his doctorate in Canon Law from the Urban University. On his return to Pakistan he taught at Christ the King Seminary.
In 1983 he was invited to the University of St. Paul, Ottawa, where he spent a month in Marriage Tribunal experience. He spent another month with the Matrimonial Tribunal in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. In 1988, he spent a month in the Matrimonial Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Bombay to get experience in dealing with marriage problems.
Father Sethupathy, was the first Sri Lankan to be ordained for a missionary diocese in Pakistan. He served as Chancellor, Judicial Vicar and Diocesan Secretary. He was also a consultant on canonical matters and did tribunal work for the Dioceses of Lahore and Multan.
Father Sethupathy celebrated his priestly silver jubilee at a Mass concelebrated with Bishop John Joseph of Faisalabad and retired Bishop Paul Andreotti of Faisalabad at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Faisalabad.
He also worked with dropouts from formal education and with financial help from Misereor in Germany, he built the St. Joseph's Technical Institute, Faisalabad in 1992.
In 2003, Father Sethupathy was appointed Deputy Secretary General of the Pakistan Catholic Bishop's Conference. On the 29 December 2005, he completed 40 years in the priesthood.
He died in Pakistan on 22 July 2009. His funeral was held in Faisalabad and he was buried at Faisalabad cemetery on 24 July 2009.