António Valente da Fonseca

Dom Antonio Valente da Fonseca (born November 19, 1884 in Válega , Aveiro district , Portugal ; † February 26, 1972 in Vila Real , Portugal) was a Portuguese clergyman and 2nd bishop of the Vila Real diocese from 1933 to 1967.

Live and act

Born in a small town in the Aveiro district, Fonseca studied Catholic theology in Porto and at the Gregorian University in Rome , received a doctorate in philosophy and canon law and was ordained a priest in 1907 in the Lateran Basilica . In 1931 he was ordained auxiliary bishop of Vila Real.

On May 31, 1933, he was ordained second bishop of the then still young diocese of Vila Real and remained in office until January 10, 1967. Fonseca was a participant in the 2nd Vatican Council in Rome.

He died on February 26, 1972 at the age of 87 as the former bishop of Vila Real.

Foundations for the diocese

He created the prayer book for the seminarians of the Vila Real diocese in 1953 and the statutes for the seminary in the diocese. He also campaigned for the first electrical connection between Porto and Gondomar , which is located in his diocese, and created the region's first agricultural cooperative . He also created one of the diocese's first old people's homes.

Honors

In Vila Real there is a street named after him and there is a bust of the bishop on Rua Pedro de Castro.

swell

• Bishop António Valente da Fonseca. In: catholic-hierarchy.org. Catholic-Hierarchy, March 24, 2020(English). 
• Lala: Monument to Antonio Valente da Fonseca in Vila Real: 1 opiniões and 3 photos. In: minube.pt. (European Portuguese). 
• D.António Valente da Fonseca -2ºBispo de Vila Real | Forum. In: geneall.net. 2005(European Portuguese).