News >> New Exarchate in Canada & New Bishop for Adilabad

His Holiness Pope Francis has established the new Exarchate for the Syro-Malabars in Canada, with See in Mississauga, a city in Toronto metropolitan, and St. Thomas the Apostle Church as its Principle Church. His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Fr. Jose Kalluvelil, of the Clergy of Palghat, India, as its first Apostolic Exarch, assigning him the ecclesiastical title of 'Titular Bishop of Tabalta". 

Fr. Jose Kalluvelil was born on 15 November 1955 at Thottuva near Kuravilangad in the Eparchy of Palai. Now his family is settled in St. Peters Parish, Jellipara, in the Eparchy of Palghat. Having completed his minor seminary formation in St. Marys Minor Seminary, Trichur and Major Seminary formation in St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary, Vadavathoor, Kottayam, he was ordained priest on 18 December 1984 for the Eparchy of Palghat. After his ordination he served at Agali, Kuruvampadi, Puliyara, Panthalampadam, Olavakode, Doni, Ottapalam, Kottayi, Kallekad, Cathedral Church, Palakad, Kodunthirapully, Kanjirapuzha, and Mezhukumupara parishes and Boys Homes at Agali and Thavalam. He was also Director of the Eparchial Pastoral Centre, Catechetical Centre and Director of KCSL, besides being one of the Eparchial Consultors. He obtained his Doctorate in Catechesis from the Salesian University, Rome. For the past two years, he was doing pastoral ministry to the Syro-Malabar faithful in Toronto.

According to official statistics, there are 35000 Syro-Malabar Christians in Canada. Many priests from various dioceses and religious congregations offer pastoral ministry in the different parishes and mission centres in Canada.

An Exarchy is an ecclesiastical administrative set up which is not yet erected as an eparchy, but very similar to it. It can be raised to the status of an eparchy when the number of faithful, parishes and other structures are sufficiently adequate for such a status. Many Syro-Malabar eparchies outside Kerala in India were in the beginning erected as exarchies.

The Exarchy of Mississauga in Canada is the first exarchy for the Syro-Malabar faithful outside India.

Information regarding the inauguration of the new Exarchy and the Episcopal ordination of the newly appointed Bishop-Exarch will be given later. 


FR. ANTONY PRINCE PANENGADAN THE NEW SHEPHERD OF THE EPARCHY OF ADILABAD

His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of H. E. Rt. Rev. Joseph Kunnath, CMI, from the pastoral care of the Eparchy of Adilabad, and has appointed Rev. Fr. Antony Prince Panengaden, of the clergy of Adilabad, as the new Bishop of Adilabad. 

Fr. Antony Prince Panengadan is appointed the second Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Adilabad in the State of Thelungana. The announcement of this appointment by the Holy Father Pope Francis was made today, on Thursday, 6 August 2015 in the Vatican at 12.00 noon and simultaneously at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad and at the Bishop's House, Adilabad, at 3.30 p.m. IST. Major Archbishop George Cardinal Alencherry made this announcement at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad, and Bishop Joseph Kunnath, at the Bishop's House, Adilabad. Bishop Joseph Kunnath presented the newly appointed Bishop with the Sash, Pectoral Cross and Ring, after the announcement at the Bishop's House, Adilabad.

The Newly appointed Bishop was born on 13 May 1976 in St. Antony's Parish, Arimpoor in the Archeparchy of Trichur. Having done his initial seminary formation in the CMI Congregation, he joined the mission eparchy of Adilabad. He had his philosophical and theological formation at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore and Ruhalaya Seminary, Ujjain. He was ordained priest on 25 April 2007. Having served at the Adilabad Cathedral Church as Assistant Parish Priest and at Saligaon Parish as its Parish Priest, he left for Rome for Higher Studies. He holds Doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Urbanian University, Rome. Besides Malayalam, he is fluent in English Italian, German, Greek, Syriac, Latin and Telugu. At the time of his appointment, he was serving the eparchy as its Proto-Syncellus and the Cathedral Vicar.

The Eparchy of Adilabad was erected on 23 July 1999, with the territory of the Eparchy of Chanda that was in the State of Andhra Pradesh. In the same year on 6 October, Bishop Joseph Kunnath CMI was ordained its first Bishop. The appointment of the new Bishop was necessitated consequent to the resignation of Bishop Joseph Kunnath as required by Canon Law, at the completion of his 75th year of age.

There are 40 Eparchial priests serving in the different mission centres of the Eparchy of Adilabad having around 15000 Catholics. Besides, priests (91) and religious brothers including some of them from the Eparchy of Palai and various religious congregations, sisters from many women religions congregations also are engaged in the ministry of evangelization. The eparchy is also actively engaged in the social, charitable and Health care apostolate.

Information regarding the Episcopal ordination and enthronement of the newly appointed Bishop will be given later.