By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: Pope Francis on January 25 appointed Father K Antony William as the bishop of Mysore after accepting the resignation of the current prelate, Bishop Thomas Vazhappilly.
This was announced at noon time in Rome, which is 4:30 pm in India, a press note from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India said.
Father William is currently the public relations officer of Mysore diocese. He is also the parish priest of St. Joseph’s Church in Jayalakshmipuram and secretary of the Mysore Diocesan Educational Society.
He was born in Pollibetta, a parish of Mysore diocese, on February 26, 1965. He studied at the St. Mary’s Minor Seminary and at St. Philomena’s College in Mysore.
He completed his philosophical and theological studies at St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Bangalore. He was ordained a priest on May 18, 1993. He started his priest ministry as assistant parish priest of St. Thomas Church in Thomayarpalayam for one year after ordination and another year at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Martalli.
He became the parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Gundlupet in 1996, After two years, he was transferred to Holy Family Church in Hinkal, Mysore until he became the diocese’s financial administrator and chancellor in 2003. He then served as the parish of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Mysore for six years. He was the Dean of Mysore during 2009-2015.
He has a Master’s Degree in Canon Law, Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in Christianity from the University of Mysore.
Bishop Vazhappally, who would turn 77 on April 11, became the bishop of Mysore in 2003.
The diocese of Mysore covers Coorg, Chamarajanagara, Mysore and Mandya districts of Karnataka state. The 21,051 square kilometers diocese is surrounded by the Archdiocese of Bangalore and dioceses of Ooty, Calicut, Mangalore and Chikmagalur.