New Delhi: Bishop Emeritus Theophane Thannickunnel of Jabalpur died November 18, says a note from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.
The Norbertine prelate died at 9 am at St Norbert Abbey, Jamtara near Jabalpur in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. He was 88.
According to Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur, the funeral will be held at 1 pm on November 21 in the Cathedral, Jabalpur.
Bishop Thannickunnel was the third priest of Jabalpur and the first Indian Norbertine prelate.
He was born September 23, 1928 and ordained a priest on August, 15, 1959. He was appointed Jabalpur bishop on March 1, 1976, a post he held until retirement on May 16, 2001.
During his long tenure, Bishop Thannickunnel opened new mission stations and parishes. Some new mission centers were opened and others were erected by dividing existing stations and parishes. This move helped accelerated missionary enthusiasm and led to unprecedented growth of the diocese, the CBCI note says.