Mar John Panamthottathil (born 31 May 1966) is an Indian-born
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 the
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 ...
in the Australia and Oceania. He is currently the eparch of the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne
The St. Thomas the Apostle Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne is a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Australia. The eparchy was erected by Pope Francis on 11 January 2014. This is ...
.
Biography
Early life and ministry in India
John Panamthottathil was born in
Peravoor
Peravoor is a town and grama panchayat in Kannur district of Kerala state in India. It is located east of Kannur and north east of Thalassery. Iritty, the nearest municipality, is north of Peravoor. Peravoor is situated in the Western Ghat ...
, Kerala. John entered the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Syro Malabar Institute of Pontifical Right in
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
where he gave his solemn profession. On 26 December 1997, He was ordained a priest by
Archeparch George Valiamattam into the
Archeparchy of Tellicherry. He continued his studies at Dharamaram College for Philosophy and Theology along with a Master of Arts in English Literature at Devagiri College (Kozhikode) and a Master in Education a
St. Joseph's College, Mannanam He also was a parochial priest, educator, and provincial superior in
Thamarassery
Thamarassery, formerly known as Thazhmalachery, is one of the taluks and a major hill town in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, India, 30 km north-east of Kozhikode, Kozhikode city and 29 km east of Koyilandy. The town lies on National H ...
.
He speaks
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
, and
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
Ministry in Australia
John, while he was the Provincial of St. Thomas Province of the C.M.I. Congregation, has visited Sacred Heart Church, Lawrenceburg, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, United States in 2008, and in 2015, he moved to Australia to serve in the
Latin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane until 2020. In
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, He served at an assistant pastor at
Cathedral of St Stephen and Saint Bernardine Church, Regents Park and then served at Our Lady and Saint Dympna's Church, Aspley as its parochial pastor. While his time serving
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
Congregations, he also served the
Syro Malabar community in Australia.
Return to Ministry in India
In 2020, He returned to India where he joined the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Mananthavady and served as the parish priest of Saint Elias Church, Nirvilpuzha until his appointment as bishop. He also served as an English Educator at the Bendictine Ashram, Makkiyad.
Eparch
On 14 January 2023,
Major Archbishop
In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop (sometimes also styled as major archeparch) is a title for the chief hierarch ("Father and Head") of an autonomous ('' sui juris'') particular Church that has not been "endowed with the patriarc ...
George Alencherry
George Alencherry (; born 19 April 1945) is the Major Archbishop Emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church after serving in the position from 2011 to 2023. He is also a cardinal of the Catholic Church.
He was elected by the Holy Synod of the ...
announced the appointment of John Panamthottahil as the 2nd Eparch of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
after
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 ...
accepted Bishop
Bosco Puthur
Bosco Puthur (born 28 May 1946) is an Indian Catholic prelate of the Syro-Malabar Church, who is Bishop emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne. Since 7 December 2023, he serves as Apostolic Administrator of the Major Archepa ...
's resignation after he reached the age of 75. Puthur, Alencherry, and Panamthottahil hosted a press conference announcing the appointment after the January meeting of the Synod of Bishops.
On 31 May 2023, He was installed by Alencherry in the presence of
Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge
Mark Benedict Coleridge (born 25 September 1948) is an Australian Catholic prelate who has served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Brisbane since 2012. He previously served as Archbishop of Canberra–Goulburn (2006–2012) and as an auxiliary ...
,
Archbishop of Tellichery Joseph Pamplany, and Bishop-Emertius
Bosco Puthur
Bosco Puthur (born 28 May 1946) is an Indian Catholic prelate of the Syro-Malabar Church, who is Bishop emeritus of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne. Since 7 December 2023, he serves as Apostolic Administrator of the Major Archepa ...
at Our Lady Guardian of Plants Chaldean Catholic Church in
Campbellfield, Victoria
Campbellfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Campbellfield recorded a population of 4,977 at the 2021 census.
History
Camp ...
.
References
External links
Indian Eastern Catholic bishops
Syro-Malabar bishops
1966 births
Living people
People from Kannur district
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