The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church will have a new diocese at Parassala. The new eparchy will come into being by bifurcating the Major Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram with the St. Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church in Parassala as its cathedral.
Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius has been appointed the first Metropolitan of the diocese. He is currently the bishop of St. Mary Queen of Peace Eparchy in the United States and Canada.
The announcement was made by Baselios Cardinal Cleemis, the Major Archbishop-Catholicos of the Malankara Catholic Church, after prayers that were held at the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Pattom, on Saturday.
Cardinal Cleemis also announced that Bishop Philipose Mar Stephanos, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Thiruvalla Archdiocese, has been appointed the new bishop of the eparchy in the US and Canada. Monsignor George Kalayil has been appointed as the new bishop of the diocese of Puthur in Karnataka in the wake of Bishop Geevarghese Mar Divannasios stepping down from the position due to health-related difficulties. John Kochuthundil, the Vicar General of the Thiruvananthapuram Major Archdiocese, has been appointed as the Curia Bishop and the Apostolic Visitator to Europe and Oceania. The appointments were made after receiving pontifical assent for the nominations.
The new diocese of Parassala will be established by including the parishes in the ecclesiastical districts of Parassala, Neyyattinkara and Kattakada and two parishes in the ecclesiastical district of Thiruvananthapuram. The new diocese will have 103 parishes, 71 educational institutions and three centres of charity. St. Theresa of Kolkata is the patron saint of the new diocese, which will be the fourth to be bifurcated from the Major Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram.
With this, the Church will have 11 dioceses and one exarchate.
The episcopal ordination of those being elevated as bishops will be held in Adoor on September 21. The inauguration of the Parassala diocese and the ordination of its Metropolitan will be conducted on September 23. The ordination of the new head of the Puthur diocese will be on September 30. The ordination of Bishop Stephanos will be held in New York on October 28.