By Matters India Reporter
Jaipur, April 22, 2023: Pope Francis on April 22 appointed Father Joseph Kallarackal, a priest of Ajmer diocese, as the new bishop of Jaipur in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan.
This was announced at noon in the Vatican and its corresponding time in India.
Announcing the appointment at the Jaipur Bishop’s House, present prelate Oswald J. Lewis welcomed the new bishop. He said the Pope has accepted his own resignation submitted in 2019. However, Bishop Lewis will continue as Jaipur’s administrator until the new prelate takes charge.
Bishop Lewis said the bishop-elect has chosen as his motto to do everything for the glory of God and being grateful to God.
“Along with the clergy, religious and laity of Jaipur diocese, I accord warm and cordial welcome” to Monsignor Kallarackal, Bishop Lewis said.
The 59-year-old bishop-elect is currently the parish priest of Cathedral Church of Ajmer.
Bishop-elect Kallarackal hails from Anavilasam, a village in the Devikulam tehsil of Idukki district in Kerala. After schooling in Kerala, he joined the St. Theresa’s Minor Seminary in Ajmer. He studied Philosophy and Theology at St. Joseph ‘s Regional Seminary in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh. He was ordained a priest in January 1997.
Joining Ajmer diocese after his ordination, the bishop-elect served as the rector of St. Theresa’s Seminary, principal of schools, member of the College of Consulters and Dean and Ecclesiastical Advisor, Nurses Guild.
The diocese of Jaipur was created July 20, 2005, by Pope Benedict XVI, carving out of Ajmer-Jaipur diocese. Headquartered in Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan state, the diocese consists of 12 civil districts of Rajasthan, namely Alwar, Bikaner, Churu, Dausa, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Nagaur, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, and Sri Ganganagar. It is a suffragan of the Province of Agra.
The first Christian presence in Jaipur goes back to the time of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur. In 1728, Father Emmanuel de Figuredo accompanied by a lay man Pedro de Silva, who later settled down in Jaipur, came to Jaipur at the invitation of the maharaja, who gifted a piece of land and contributed generously for building of Sacred Heart Church at Ghat Gate in 1871.
The first resident priest of Jaipur was Capuchin Father Conrad. In 1890, the Rajputana and Malwa Missions were created separating them from Agra diocese and in 1891 the new mission was made an Apostolic Prefecture appointing Capuchin Father Bertram as its first prefect. It started with five priests and five stations namely Bandikui, Nasirabad, Jaipur, Neemuch and Mhow.
In 1913, Monsignor Fortunatus Henry Caumont, a Capuchin who was until then the prefect, was appointed the first bishop of Ajmer. In 1949, the diocese was handed over to the diocesan clergy and Monsignor Leo D’ Mello was appointed the first Indian bishop. In 1955, the name of the diocese was changed to diocese of Ajmer-Jaipur. Monsignor Ignatius Menezes was appointed Bishop of Ajmer-Jaipur in 1979.
When will the “sons of the soil” be considered “eligible” to become bishops???