By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, Nov 30, 2023: Pope Francis on November 30 appointed bishops for four Latin rite dioceses in India.
Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi, who served as the apostolic administrator of Daltonganj is appointed as the bishop of that diocese in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. The 63-year-old Pilar bishop was former secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.
Father Ambrose Puthenveettil is the new bishop of Kottapuram diocese in Kerala, southern India, and Father Malcolm Sequeira, priest of the diocese of Poona, is the new bishop of Amravati diocese in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
Another new bishop is Linus Pingal Ekka for Gumla diocese in Jharkhand state.
Bishop Mascarenhas was born on November 9, 1960, in Camurlim, Archdiocese of Goa. He studied philosophy at St. Charles Seminary in Nagpur, Maharashtra, and theology at the All-India Mission Seminary of the Society of Pilar, Goa. He was ordained a priest on April 24, 1988.
After ordination he did pastoral work in the northern Indian state of Punjab during 1988-1993. He was the official of the Pontifical Council for Culture, procurator general of the Society of St. Francis Xavier, member of the Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Congresses, and lecturer in sacred scripture at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome.
He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Ranchi on July 9, 2014. He served as the CBCI secretary general during 2016-2019. He is currently the chairman of the Commission for Ecology under the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.
The diocese of Daltonganj was vacant since 2016 with the resignation of Jesuit Bishop Gabriel Kujur.
Bishop-elect Puthenveettil was born on August 21, 1967, in Palliport, in the diocese of Kottapuram. He studied Philosophy at St. Peter’s Pontifical Institute in Bangalore and Theology at the Collegium Canisianum in Innsbruck, Austria. He was ordained a priest on June 11, 1995, for Kottapuram.
He has served as the secretary to the bishop, deputy parish priest of St. Don Bosco, vice rector of the St. Francis Assisi Minor Seminary, deputy parish priest of Our Lady of Snow, professor at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary in Aluva and later its vice rector. He was the rector of St. Antony’s Minor Seminary for two years beginning 2017-and parish priest of St Michael Cathedral and vicar until 2022. Since then, he was the rector of St. Antony’s Shrine.
The diocese of Kottapuram has a population of about 96,950 Latin Catholics and an area of 3300 sq. km. The diocese has 61 parishes, 132 diocesan priests, 92 religious priests, 253 female religious, and 108 educational institutions. The diocese of Kottapuram was created on July 3, 1987, by bifurcating the northern part of the Archdiocese of Verapoly.
Father Sequeira was born on November 4 1961, in Giriz, in the diocese of Vasai. He studied Philosophy and Theology at St. Pius X College in Mumbai. He was ordained a priest on April 13, 1996, for Poona diocese.
He has held the following positions: Priestly Assistant at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (1996-1998); diocesan director of the Basic Christian Communities (1998-2003); License in Social Communications from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2005); since 2005, diocesan director for social communications and head of public relations; Rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (2008-2013); since 2009, diocesan consultant; since 2012, Vicar General; Director of the Property Office (2013-2016); parish priest of the Divine Mercy Church (2016-2019); since 2019, Parish Priest of St. Anne’s Church.
Amaravati diocese became vacant on December 3, 2018, when Bishop Elias Gonsalves was appointed as the Archbishop of Nagpur. It was bifurcated from the Archdiocese of Nagpur on May 8, 1955. It covers four districts of Vidarbha — Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, and Yavatmal — and the three districts of Marathwada — Aurangabad, Parbhani, and Nanded.
It has an area of 46,090 square kilometers, and the Catholic population is 15,680, served by 20 parishes, 36 diocesan priests, 23 religious priests, and 238 religious sisters.
Bishop-elect Ekka was born on September 23, 1961, in Chainpur, in the Diocese of Gumla. He attended the Master of Arts at St. Aloysius College in Jabalpur and obtained a licentiate in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome. He was ordained a priest on January 22, 1994, for Gumla.
He held the following positions and carried out further studies: Deputy Parish Priest and then Parish Priest of Dalmadi (1994-1995); Rector of the Karondabera Preparatory Seminary (1995-1997 and 1999-2000); Doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, while carrying out pastoral service in the Archdiocese of Udine (1997-1999); Guest professor at St. Albert’s Regional College in Ranchi (2000-2002); Residential professor and Prefect of the Philosophy department at St. Albert’s Regional College in Ranchi (2002-2011); Parish Vicar in Ampezzo, in the Archdiocese of Udine (2011-2017); Chancellery of the Diocese of Gumla and in charge of matrimonial cases (2017-2020); Judicial Vicar and Judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal (2019-2020); since 2021, Diocesan Administrator of Gumla.
The Diocese of Gumla became vacant by the death of Bishop Paul Alois Lakra on June 15, 2021. It was carved out of the Archdiocese of Ranchi on May 28, 1993. It has a Catholic population of 193,000, parishes 38, diocesan priests 138, religious priests 92, religious sisters 371 and institutions 346.
(Based on a press statement from Father Stephen Alathara, deputy secretary general of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India)
Daltonganj Diocese was shaped by its first bishop George Saupin. Indeed, he was a trend-setting bishop who implemented many things said in the second Vatican Council. I had the privilege of working with him. He was a man of vision and dynamic. His pro-poor approaches were down-to-earth. His participatory approach was excellent. He always came out of his comfort zones to serve the needy communities of the diocese. He fought for the rights of the tribal people. As a consequence, he was considered as an enemy by the local landlords and politicians. Due to the false accusation of the local politicians, the diocesan FCRA account was frozen for almost three years. He said to his priests, “let us tighten our belts” and adopted a series of activities to cut down the expenses at various levels. He succeeded in doing it. Indeed, he built a tribal church.
But… I am sad to note that his successors did not continue what he did. To my disappointment what he built has been demolished.
I hope and pray that the newly appointed bishop revives what bishop Saupin introduced and brings a revival in the local church.