Bishop Eugene Joseph is the current serving bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Early life and education

He was born in Rajakkamangalam,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, on 31 July 1958 to Mr. Siluvadimai Fernando and Mrs. Antoniammal Rodriquez. He acquired his secondary school education from Carmel High School, Nagercoil. He completed his minor seminary studies from St. Theresa's Minor Seminary,

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

and completed philosophy and theology from St. Charles Seminary,

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Nagpur University,

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and a Bachelor of Education degree from

Gorakhpur University Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University (formerly known as Gorakhpur University) is located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The University of Gorakhpur is a teaching and residential-cum-affiliating University. It has entered the league of top fi ...

, U.P. He has also acquired a master's degree in English and a master's in business administration from Townsend School of Business,

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, US.

Priesthood

On 10 April 1985 he was ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi. After ordination he served as an assistant parish priest, teacher and warden at St. Thomas Inter-College, Shahganj. He served as an assistant rector of the Minor Seminary, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Ghazipur, director of Nav Sadhana Regional Pastoral Centre and Kala Kendra, director of St. Mary's Hospital and founding director of St. Mary's School of Nursing, Varanasi. He was appointed apostolic administrator of the Varanasi Diocese in December 2013.

Episcopate

He was appointed Bishop of Varanasi on 30 May 2015 by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

and ordained on 24 August 2015 by Salvatore Pennacchio.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Eugene 1958 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in India Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Dowling College alumni Clergy from Tamil Nadu