Four New Bishops and Two New Eparchies for


 the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, the Major Archbishop with the consent of the Holy Episcopal Synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and having consulted the Apostolic See of Rome, has created two new Eparchies in the Church. They are Pathanamthitta in Kerala and Puthur in the State of Karnataka.  Having been elected by the Holy Episcopal Synod, four new Bishops also have been appointed by him for the Church with the approval of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.  He has announced the transfer of Most Rev. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom, the present Bishop of Marthandom to the new See of Pathanamthitta and Most Rev. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios from the See of Bathery to the new See of Puthur.  Most Rev. Joseph Mar Thomas, the Apostolic Visitator to North America and Europe is appointed Bishop of Bathery.  To the See of Marthandom, falling vacant due the transfer of its present Bishop is appointed Very Rev. Fr. Vincent Kulapuravilai, the Professor and Registrar of St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary Trivandrum.  Very Rev. Dr. Samuel Kattukallil, the Syncellus of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum and Very Rev. Dr. Stephen Thottathil, Dean of the Faculty of Theology of St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary are appointed Auxiliary Bishops of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum and the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla respectively.  Very Rev. Dr. Antony Valiyavilayil OIC, the Postulator of the Cause of Canonisation of Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios and the Chancellor of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia is appointed the Bishop of the Curia.
         The announcement was simultaneously made in Rome at 12 noon local time and in Trivandrum, the headquarters of the Syro-Malankara Church and at other Eparchial centres  at 4.30 p.m. IST.  The Bishops of the Church invested the Bishops Designates with Episcopal insignia and congratulated them.
 

Greetings

Congratulations and Best wishes to our Bishops...

Most Rev. Yoohanon Mar Chrysostom	Most Rev. Geevarghese Mar Divannasios	Most Rev. Joseph Mar Thomas

 and the Bishop designates....

The Bishop Designates
Name	Very Rev. Dr. Vincent Kulapuravilai,	Very Rev. Dr. Samuel Kattukallil	Very Rev. Dr. Stephen Thottathil	Very Rev. Dr. Antony Valiyavilayil OIC
Designated to be	The Bishop of Marthandom Diocese	Auxiliary Bishop of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum.	Auxiliary Bishop of the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla.	Bishop of the Curia
Birth	20 February 1964	13 May 1952	9 May 1952	25 November 1955
Native of	Kumarankudy in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu	Kadamminitta in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala	Karimpinamkuzhy, Ranni, Kerala.	Adoor in the District of Pathanamthitta, Kerala
Priestly Ordination	2 January 1991	22 December 1978	27 April 1979	27 December 1980
Degree's	B. Ed, Degree in Philosophy and  Theology, Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from Rome	Degrees in Philosophy and Theology, Secular degrees of BA, MA, MPhil and PhD	Degree in Philosophy, Master’s Degree in Theology, Doctorate in Moral Theology from Rome	Degree in Philosophy and Theology, Doctorate in Oriental Canon Law from Rome.
Service	Has served the Eparchy of Marthandom in various capacities like Parish Priest, Protopresbyter, Correspondent of MSC schools, Member of Education Board, Director of Children for Unity and Member of the Commission for Liturgy Presently he is Professor and Registrar of St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary.	Has served the Eparchy of Marthandom in various capacities like Parish Priest, was lecturer in Mar Ivanios College, as the Principal of St. John’s College Anchal and later retired as principal from the Mar Ivanios College Trivandrum. Presently serving as the Syncellus of the Major Archieparchy of Trivandum	Has served the Eparchy of Tiruvalla as Parish Priest, as the Rector of the Minor Seminary, Director of the Malankara Catholic Youth Movement and Associate Administrator and later Director of Pushpagiri Hospital, Was the Administrator when the See  of Thiruvalla was vacant in the year 2003. Protosyncellus of the Eparchy. Presently serving the St. Mary’s Malankara Seminary as the Dean of the Faculty of Theology	Served the Bethany Ashram as Master of Pre-Philosophers, Pre-Novices, Procurator and Rector of Bethany Ashram Pune. He served the Congregation and as a member of General Council. He played a valuble role in the organization of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the ETRI, especially in Pune. He also served the Archieparchy of Tiruvalla as its Judicial Vicar.  Presently he is the Postulator of the Cause of Canonisation of the Servant of God Archbishop Mar Ivanios and the Chancellor of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia.
Languages known	English, Tamil, Malayalam, German, Italian, Spanish and Syriac.	Malayalam, English and Syriac.	Malayalam, English he knows Italian, German and Syriac.	Malayalam, English, Hindi, German, Italian and Syriac.