Syro-Malabar Catholic
The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a ''sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Catholi ...
bishop. He is the current
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of Mandya and also a former
auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
of the
Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
.
Biography
Early life
Mar Sebastian Adayantharath was born on 5 April 1957 of Ouseph Chacko and Thresiamma at Vaikom, Kerala. He had his school education at St Joseph's LP School and St Theresa's High School, Vaikom from 1963 to 1973. He joined the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly on 1 July 1973. Three years later he was sent to the Papal Seminary, Pune where he did his seminary studies from 1976 to 1983 and was ordained priest on 18 December 1983 by Bishop Mar Sebastian Mankuzhikary at St Joseph's Pontifical Seminary,
Alwaye
Aluva () is a municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre.
Aluva is known for the Sivarathri festival, which is celebrated annually on the sandbanks of the Periyar River. ...
.
Career
After his ordination, Fr. Adayantharath took a master's degree in Theology from Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth,
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
. During his priestly ministry in the archdiocese he served as parish priest and secretary to the late Cardinal
Mar Antony Padiyara
Antony Padiyara (11 February 1921 – 23 March 2000) was a Syro-Malabar Catholic cardinal and the first Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly. Before serving as Major Archbishop from 1985 to 1996, he previously served as Bishop of Ootacamund ...
. He serves on the Board of Trustees of 'Save A Family Plan' organization in Canada.
His appointment as Bishop Auxiliary of Ernakulam-Angamaly and
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of Macriana Maior (in ancient
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...
, Turkey) was announced on 4 February 2002 and he was consecrated Bishop on 20 April 2002 by Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil at St Mary's Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam. In the wake of an investigation surrounding a controversial land deal which allegedly resulted in the Archdiocese losing $10 million,Bishop Manathodath was appointed the apostolic administrator of Ernakulam-Angamaly in June 2018. After his term ended, Cdl. Alencherry resumed office on 27 June 2019 and Bishop Adayanthrath and co-Auxiliary Bishop Jose Puthenveetil were moved out of the archdiocese. Unlike Cdl. Alencherry, Bishop Adayantharath did not face criminal charges and was later appointed as the Bishop of Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Mandya by the Holy Synod of
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...
and
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 ...
on 30 August 2019.
See also
*
Catholic Church in India
The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope. There are over 23 million Catholics in India,Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using tags which will then appear here automatically -->