Emilio de Brigard Ortiz (15 May 1888 – 6 March 1986) was a Colombian prelate of the Catholic Church.
Born in Chía, Cundinamarca, he entered the Major Seminary of Bogotá as a child and was ordained a priest in 1911.
[1][2] His parents, Luís de Brigard Saíz and María Josefa Ortiz Álvarez,[4] both came from prominent families,[2][6] and were dignified but simple people.
[1][2][3] He was ordained to the priesthood on 28 October 1911, at the age of 23, by the Archbishop of Bogotá, Bernardo Herrera Restrepo.
[1][2][3][4] After completing his education in Rome, he returned to Colombia in 1918 and began a long and varied career in service of the Archdiocese of Bogotá.
[2] He was revered by the many he served and worked with, and was affectionately nicknamed "el Doctorcito" (diminutive of "the Doctor").
[2] Brigard often represented the archdiocese at international events, such as the Second National Eucharistic Congress in Ecuador in 1949, and the Quinquennial visit ad limina in the Vatican City in 1950.
[5] The bishops he co-consecrated were: Vicente Roig y Villalba in 1945, Luis Pérez Hernández in 1946, Camilo Plácido Crous y Salichs in 1947, Baltasar Álvarez Restrepo in 1949, Antonio Torasso in 1952, Pedro Grau y Arola in 1953, and Pablo Correa León in 1957.
[1][2] The occasion was a very important social event in Bogotá, with many prominent people attending the ceremonies.