Our Bishops
MAR MATHEW MOOLAKKATT, O. S. B.
Metropolitan Archbishop of Kottayam
He was born on February 27,1953 at Uzhavoor in Kottayam District. He was ordained priest on the 27th December, 1978. He has B.Sc., B. Ed., M.A. in Sociology and doctorate in Canon Law. In 1994 he joined the Vallombrosan Benedictine Monastery and made the Final Profession on December 5, 1998. On December 28, 1998 he was nominated Bishop of Holler and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Kottayam. He received the Episcopal Ordination on 6th January, 1999 from His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Later on August 15, 2003 H. H. Pope John Paul II appointed Mar Mathew Moolakatt as Co-adjutor Bishop of the Eparchy of Kottayam. He took over as the Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Kottayam on January 14, 2006.
He is the member of Permanent Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church; Supreme Moderator of Major Archiepiscopal Tribunal; He is member of CBCI Commission for Youth,member of the Commission for Evangelization and Pastoral Care of Migrants,member of the Committees for Media and Public Affairs, Chairman of the K.C.B.C Commission for Dialogue, and member of the CBCI Standing Committee and member of the Pontifical Council for dialogue with the Orthodox Syrian and Syrian Orthodox churches. He was Secretary General of KCBC.
MAR JOSEPH PANDARASSERIL
Auxiliary Bishop of Kottayam
He was born on April 18, 1961 at Ettumanoor, Kottayam. He completed his philosophical and theological studies at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Mangalore and was ordained a priest on December 28, 1987. He studied Canon Law at Santa Croce University in Rome and took Licentiate Degree in 1995.
Mar Pandarasseril has a wide parish and administrative experience. He served Chakkupallam, Kattappana, Karimkunnam and Edacat parishes. He was also the Rector of the Diocesan Minor Seminary from 1996-99. He served as Additional Chancellor, Eparchial Judge, Eparchial Consulter, Secretary to the Corporate Educational Agency and Syncellus of the Malabar Region. Syro Malabar Synod has chosen him as the Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Kottayam and the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI assigned him the titular Episcopal See of “Castello di Ripa” on September 21, 2006. He was consecrated bishop on October 28, 2006 at Christ the King Cathedral, Kottayam by Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry, assisted by Major Archbishop Baselios Mar Cleemis and Mar Mathew Moolakkatt. He was the Member of Synodal Commission for Catechism and Commission for Laity. He is the Chairman of the Syro-Malabar youth commission, Member of the Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Evangelisation and Pastoral Care, CBCI Youth Council Member, KCBC Media Commission member.
Bp George Palliparambil, S.D.B.
Bishop of Miao
Bishop’s House, Miao – 7921, Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh
Tel: 0360-2291408
Born: May 15, 1954 | Priestly Ordination: Dec. 19, 1982
Appointed Bishop: Dec. 07, 2005 | Episcopal Ordination: Feb. 26, 2006
Parish: Mrala
Bishop James Thoppil
Bishop of Kohima
Bishop’s House, Catholic Cathedral, P.B. No. 519,
Kohima – 797 001, Nagaland
Tel. 0370-2242887, 280097
Fax: 0370 3228452
Born: March 2, 1959, | Priestly Ordination: January 12, 1986
Episcopal Ordination: September 8, 2011
Parish: Arnoottimangalom
Archbishop Kurian Mathew Vayalunkal
The Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Titular Archbishop of Ratiaria
Apostolic nunciature, P.O. Box 98, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Tel. +675325.60.21
Born: August 04,1966 | Priestly Ordination: December 27, 1991
Appointed Bishop: 3rd May 2016
Episcopal Ordination: 25th July 2016
Parish: Neendoor
Expired Bishops
Charles Lavigne
(1840 – 1913)
Charles Lavigne S.J., was born on 6.11.1840 at Sarlette in France. He was ordained for the titular see of Milevia and was appointed to the Apostolic Vicariate of Kottayam in 1887. He was transferred to the Diocese of Trincomalee in the year1896 and he died on July 11, 1913 in France.
Mar Mathew Makil
(1851-1914)
Mar Mathew Makil was born on 10.4.1851 at Manjoor in Kottayam Distrit. He was appointed Vicar General for the Southists in the Vicariate of Kottayam in 1889. When the Vicariate Apostolic of Kottayam and Trichur were re-organized into Trichur, Ernakulam and Changanassery in 1896, he was nominated Titular Bishop of Trallus and appointed Vicar Apostolic of Changanassery. In 1911, a new Vicariate Apastolic of Kottayam was constituted exclusively for the Knanaya Catholics and Mar Mathew Makil was transferred to Kottayam as Vicar Apostolic. He died at Kottayam on 26-1-1914.
Mar Alexander Chulaparambil (1877-1951)
Mar Alexander Chulaparambil was born on 14-10-1877 at Kumarakom in Kottayam District. He was ordained priest on December 22, 1906. He was nominated titular bishop of Bussaries and appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kottayam on the 16th of July, 1914 by His Holiness Pope St Pius X. When the Syro Malabar hierarchy was constituted on December 21, 1923 he became the Bishop of Kottayam. He died on January 8, 1951.
Mar Thomas Tharayil
(1899-1975)
Mar Thomas Tharayil was born on May 5, 1899 at Palathuruth in Kottayam District and was ordained priest on the 18th of December 1926. He was nominated Bishop of Azota and appointed Co-Adjutor Bishop of Kottayam on June 9, 1945 by His Holiness Pope Pius XII. At the demise of Mar Alexander Chulaparambil he became the Bishop of Kottayam on the 8th of January, 1951. He was an educationist. During his episcopacy two colleges – B.C.M. Kottayam, St. Stephens Uzhavoor – were established. He retired from the office on May 5, 1974 and died on July 26,1975.
Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry
(1928-2017)
Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry was born on the 11th of September,1928 at Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam District. He was ordained priest on the 21st of December,1955 in Rome. He was nominated bishop of Kepha and appointed Co-Adjutor Bishop of Kottayam on 9th December 1967. By the decree “God our loving father” dated May 9, 2005, the Major Archbishop Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil appointed Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry as the first metropolitan of the newly erected metropolitan see of Kottayam. On June 3, 2005 Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil ordained and enthroned Mar Kuriakose Kunnacherry as the Metropolitan of Kottayam at a liturgical service in Christ the King Cathedral, Kottayam.The Syro Malabar Synod has accepted his resignation on January 14, 2006.He died on june 2017.
Archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara
(1943-2018)
He had a special privilege of becoming a Bishop at the very young age of 34. He holds a record of becoming the 100th Bishop in India and straight away he was appointed the first Bishop of the newly created diocese of Khandwa (Bifurcated from Indore Diocese) He was consecrated Bishop on 13th July 1977. After serving Khandwa Diocese for 21 full years, he was promoted as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Nagpur and took possession on 22nd April 1998. Since then he gave a new direction to Nagpur Archdiocese.
At his repeated request to the members of Catholic Bishops Conference of India a new Commission for Youth was created in 1986 and he was made the first Chairman of this Youth Commission. He was very much concerned and had special love for youth and he himself was very much young at heart and he was as energetic as any of the youth we see. He died on 19 April 2018.
Bishop Simon Kaipuram, C.M, D.D
Bishop of Balasore
Born: February 9, 1954 | Priestly Ordination: December 20, 1980
Died: April 22,2019
Appointed Bishop: December 09, 2013 | Episcopal Ordination: January 30, 2014
Bishop Thomas Thennatt
Bishop of Gwaliyar
Born: November 26, 1953 | Priestly Ordination: October 21, 1978
Died: December 14, 2018
Appointed Bishop: January 8, 2017