Born in Mangalore and ordained to the priesthood in 1957, D'Mello was named bishop of the Karwar Diocese in 1976 and retired in 2007.
[2] On January 24, 1976, at 44 years of age, D'Mello was appointed Bishop of the newly-erected Diocese of Karwar by Pope Paul VI.
[2] One of D'Mello's key initiatives was promoting vocations to the priesthood and the religious life in his diocese.
He encouraged young men to enter the seminary, and sought to bring more congregations of religious sisters into his new diocese.
D'Mello died July 19, 2011, aged 80 and was buried in the Diocese of Karwar's Cathedral of the Assumption.