By Jose Kavi
New Delhi, Feb 4, 2023: Two bishops were appointed and one retired on February 4 in the Indian Catholic Church.
Pope Francis appointed Father Wilbert Marwein as the bishop of Nongstoin, a diocese in the northern Indian state of Meghalaya, and Father James Shekhar as the bishop of Buxar diocese in Bihar.
The Pope on the same day accepted the resignation Bishop Devadass Ambrose Mariadoss of Thanjavur diocese in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
All these announcements were made public at noon in Rome and its corresponding time in India, according to press releases issued by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, the national body of the Latin rite.
Bishop-elect Marwein was born on February 17, 1970, in Rangblang – Sohsyniong in the then Archdiocese of Shillong, now Nongstoin diocese. He was ordained a priest on April 27, 2003, for the Archdiocese of Shillong, and in 2006 he joined the new diocese of Nongstoin.
In 1988, he entered St. Paul’s Seminary, Upper Shillong, and studied at St. Xavier Minor Seminary in the Meghalaya capital of Shillong during 1991-1992. He studied Philosophy at Shillong’s Christ King College 1994-1997.
After two years of pastoral experience in Pynursla, Archdiocese of Shillong, he studied theology at the Oriens Theological College in the same town from 1999 to 2003. He obtained a Licentiate in Missiology at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome during 2007-2010.
After his ordination, he served as assistant parish priest at Shillong archdiocese’s Ummulon for two years from 2003. He then served as the procurator of the Oriens Theological College during 2005 to 2007.
He served as the vicar general of Nongstoin from December 2015 to October 2019. Since December 2015 he has been the parish priest of the Divine Saviour Church Nonbah under the diocese of Nongstoin.
He served as the parish vicar at Mokama, a major parish under Patna archdiocese during 1996-1997; director of youth ministry of the archdiocese and professor at St. Mary’s Seminary (1998-2003).
He studied licentiate in biblical theology at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome and doctorate in biblical theology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
He served as the secretary to the Patna archbishop for six years from until 2015. Since 2015, he has served as the deputy secretary of the Episcopal Council of Bihar, Jharkhand and Andaman. Currently he is working as the diocesan director for Social Work of Patna archdiocese and director of Bihar Social Forum.
Bishop Ambrose resigned from pastoral governance of Thanjavur diocese on attaining 75 years of age, the canonical age for bishops to retire.
The bishop was born in Ammapet village October 6, 1947. He received his basic education at Ukkadai Appavu Thevar High School and Pre-University Course at Sri Pushpam College. He joined St. Mary’s Minor Seminary, Thanjavur in 1964. He studied philosophy and theology from St. Paul’s Seminary, Trichy. He was ordained a priest on August 5, 1974.
He taught Sacred Scripture St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary, Bangalore. He received his higher education in Biblical Institute, Rome and Catholic University, Paris. He received a diploma in Biblical Studies at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He was appointed bishop of Thanjavur on July 14, 1997. He also served as the apostolic administrator of Tiruchirappalli from 2018-2021.