By Jose Kavi
New Delhi: Pope Francis has appointed Father Peter Sebastian Goveas as the new bishop of Bettiah diocese in Bihar, an eastern Indian state.
The announcement was made at noon time in Rome on July 22 and its corresponding time in India, a press note press from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India says.
Bettiah diocese was without a bishop since July 3, 2013, when its first prelate Bishop Henry Thakur was transferred to Raipur archdiocese in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Jesuit Father Lawrence Paschal administered the diocese since then.
The bishop-elect is currently the vicar general of Bhagalpur diocese. He also served as the pastor of St. Clare’s Church, Dakaita, since 1999.
He was born on February 8, 1955, at Hosabettu, Hospet, Mangalore, Karnataka. After the secondary school, he entered St. John’s Regional Minor Seminary, Bhagalpur, to become a priest for Bhagalpur diocese.
He did his philosophy studies at St. Albert’s College, Ranchi as well as Morning Star College, Barrackpore, West Bengal. He returned to St. Albert’s College, for his theology studies. He was ordained a priest on December 9, 1983.
He served Bhagalpur diocese first as the assistant parish priest at Christ the King Church, Damruhat in 1983. A year later, he was appointed pastor of the same parish and served it until 1988.
He was transferred to St. Pius X Church, Maheshmunda that year and stayed there until 1997. He served as the parish priest of Sacred Heart Church, Susni for two years.
In 2013 he was also administrator of St. Thomas School, Dakaita, and in 2014 of St. Thomas’s School, Damri. He was the dean of Lalmatia Deanery for four years and diocesan consultor from 2008.
Pope John Paul II created Bettiah diocese on June 27, 1998, separating five Bhojpuri speaking districts of Muzaffarpur diocese. The districts are West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan and Saran.
Bettiah diocese covers an area of more than 10,500 square kilometers. It has nearly 6,000 Catholics in a total population of 14.5 million. Pastoral care is provided by 55 priests (19 diocesan and 36 religious), 43 religious brothers and 133 sisters in 13 parishes. The diocese has 13 major seminarians.
Bishop Thakur, its first prelate, is native of Bettiah.
The new diocese did not have a separate residence for the bishop and so the parish priest of Bettiah at that time, Rev. Fr. Julius Lazarus, put four rooms in the presbytery at the disposal of the bishop and his curia.
Part of the Veranda in front of the bishop’s room was partitioned off and made the Bishop’s office. Thus, till 2007 the Bishop and his helpers were guests of the parish priest of Bettiah.