Mohan Manoraj (born 16 November 1954) is the present Bishop in Karnataka Southern Diocese of the

Church of South India The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India. With a membership of over 4.5 million, it ...

, the sixth in succession, and occupies the

Cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

at the CSI-Shanthi Cathedral in

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

who has been consecrated on 14 December 2015.Deccan Heralad, 17 December 2014
/ref>

Studies

Manoraj pursued two degrees in sociology,

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from the

University of Mysore The University of Mysore is a public state university in Mysore, Karnataka, India. The university was founded during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and the premiership of Sir M. Visvesvaraya. The university is recognised by t ...

.Konkan World, ''Rev Mohan Manoraj named Bishop of CSI Karnataka South Diocese''.

/ref> As he was inclined to become a priest, he discerned his avocation and underwent ministerial formation at the

Karnataka Theological College Karnataka Theological College ''(founded in 1847)'' is an ecumenical seminary catering to the Kannada-speaking students wishing to pursue the priestly vocation. KTC is located in Mangaluru of Karnataka in South India, and is affiliated to the na ...

, a Seminary affiliated to the nation's first University ''The

Senate of Serampore College (University) The Senate of Serampore College (University) is an ecumenical regulatory and affiliating body for Christian theological education, which works in partnership with Bible colleges, seminaries and theological research institutes in the Indian subco ...

is a University within the meaning of Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act, 1956 under which a University means a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act, and includes any such institution as may, in consultation with the University concerned, be recognised by the Commission in accordance with the regulations made in this behalf under this Act. The UGC took the opinion that the Senate fell under the purview of Section 2 (f) of the said Act since ''The Serampore College Act, 1918'' was passed by the Government of West Bengal.)'' with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

under the Principalship of

C. L. Furtado C. L. Furtado (Christopher Lazarus Furtado) is CSI-Bishop Emeritus - in - Karnataka Southern of Church of South India. Furtado became the third Bishop on 25 August 1997, the date on which he was consecrated asK. M. George, ''Church of South I ...

Ministry

Soon after Manoraj's ordination by D. P. Shettian, he was assigned ministerial roles in the Karnataka Southern Diocese of the

. Manoraj later upgraded his academics by pursuing a postgraduate course at the

Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS) is an ecumenical seminary in Madurai, South India. TTS is affiliated with the Senate of Serampore College and Madurai Kamaraj University. The Principal is Rev. Dr. Margaret Kalaiselvi. The seminary celebrat ...

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

specialising in Social Analysis under the notable Activist-Scholar

Gabriele Dietrich Gabriele Dietrich (born 1943) is a German-born Indian scholar and philosopher. She is the Sociology Professor at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai, affiliated to the nation's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (Univer ...

. After returning from Madurai, Manoraj taught for a year at the

between 1995-1996 and has been a visiting Teacher since then as he went back for pastoral ministry. Before becoming a bishop, Manoraj was a priest at the CSI-Sawday Memorial Church in

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

Bishopric

The Karnataka Southern Diocese was led by John Sadananda who resigned in 2013 on attaining superannuation resulting in

sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

which the

Church of South India Synod Church of South India Synod is the highest administrative body of the Church of South India. The Synod (CSI Synod) governs the whole church and convenes the annual general meeting of CSI. The Moderator of the Synod is a Bishop who is a presiding o ...

deliberated and appointed Manoraj at the CSI-Shanthi Cathedral, Mangalore on 15 December 2014 as the sixth bishop. Manoraj was principally consecrated by G. Dyvasirvadam the moderator as well as by Thomas K Oommen the deputy moderator in the presence of other clergy of the

.V. Isaac Vijayasekar, ''Consecration and Installation of Rt. Rev. Mohan Manoraj as Bishop of Karnataka Southern Diocese''.

/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manoraj, Mohan Christian clergy from Karnataka Kannada people 21st-century Anglican bishops in India Anglican bishops of Karnataka Southern 1954 births Indian Christian theologians Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni University of Mysore alumni Academic staff of the Senate of Serampore College (University) Living people Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary alumni