Ref: CBCI-Gen/Cir-11/2017                                                                            7th August, 2017

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE HIERARCHY

Your Eminences, Graces, Excellencies,

In continuation of our communication on 5th August, 2017, regarding the following provisions that have been made for the Syro-Malankara Church, we are now providing you a brief biodata of the Bishops and Statistical Data on the Eparchy of Parassala:

1. Erection of the Eparchy of Parassala and election of its first Bishop, His Lordship the Right Reverend Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil;

2. Appointment of His Lordship the Right Reverend Philipose Mar Stephanos Thottathil as Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Mary Queen of Peace in the United States and Canada;

3. Election of Reverend Father George Kalayil as Bishop of the Eparchy of Puttur;

4. Election of Reverend Father John Kuchuthundil as Curia Bishop and Apostolic Visitator to Europe and Oceania, to whom has been assigned the Titular See of Tuburbo Maggiore.

1. H. E. Msgr. Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil

(Bishop of Parassala of the Syro-Malankara)

H. E. Msgr. Thomas Mar Eusebios Naickamparambil was born in Mylapra, in the Archieparchy of Trivandrum, on 6th June, 1961, and was ordained a Priest on 29th December, 1986. After his studies in Philosophy and Theology at Jnanadeepa in Poona, he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy in Rome. He speaks Malayalam, English, German, Italian and Hindi and also knows Syriac, Greek and French.

Since his ordination he has held the following offices: Assistant Parish Priest and Parish Priest in various communities, Professor and then Dean of Philosophy at the Saint Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary, Secretary General of the Major Archbishopric of the Syro-Malankara Church, Public Relations Officer, Coordinator for Interreligious Dialogue and Secretary of the Permanent Council, Director of the Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, a school in Trivandrum, and Bursar of the Mar Baselios Engineering College.

On 14th July, 2010, Msgr. Naickamparambil was appointed as Titular Bishop of Lares and first exarch for Syro-Malankara faithful resident in the United States. At the same time, he was entrusted with the role of Apostolic Visitator for the Syro-Malankara faithful resident in Canada and in Europe, a role that ended with his appointment as Eparchial Bishop of Saint Mary Queen of Peace.

2. H. E. Msgr. Philipose Mar Stephanos Thottathil

Born on 9th Mary, 1952, in Ranni, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, H. E. Msgr. Thottathil completed his institutional studies in Philosophy and Theology at the Papal Seminary of Pune and was ordained a Priest on 27th April, 1979. After serving in several parishes he obtained a doctorate in Moral Theology at the Alphonsianum Academy, Rome.

He has since held the following offices: Vice Rector of the Minor Seminary; Head of the Mission in Delhi; Director of the hospital of Pushpagiri; Professor of Moral Theology; Dean of Theology and Rector of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary; and Bursar and Protosyncellus of Tiruvalla (2003-2005). He was consecrated as Auxiliary Bishop of Tiruvalla on 13th March, 2010, and assigned the titular see of Sozopoli di Emimonto.

3. H.E. Msgr. George Kalayil
(Bishop of Puttur of the Syro Malankara)

H. E. Msgr. George Kalayil was born on 16th July, 1958, in Renjalady, in the State of Karnataka. After attending the Minor Seminary, he studied Philosophy at Saint Joseph’s; Mangalore, and Theology at the Papal Seminary of Pune. He holds a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained a Priest on 1st May, 1986, and has exercised his pastoral ministry in more than ten dioceses. In addition, he has served as Secretary to the Bishop; Director of Saint Joseph’s School, Bathery; Rector of Major Seminary, Trivandrum and Vicar General of the Diocese of Puttur. Since 2010 he has served as Protosyncellus of the Eparchy of Puttur.

4. H. E. Msgr. John Kochuthundil   
(Bishop of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia of the Syro-Malankara Church)

H. E. Msgr. John Kochuthundil was born on 8th April, 1959, in Puthusseribhagon, Kerala. After attending the Minor Seminary in Trivandrum, he completed his Philosophy and Theology at St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva, and was ordained a Priest on 22nd December, 1985. He holds a Licentiate and Doctorate in Oriental Canon Law from Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome and a Diploma in Priestly Formation from Sophia, Thailand.

He served as the Secretary to the Archbishop of Trivandrum; Notary of the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal; Judge cum Defender of Bond (Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal Yew York, USA); Rector of St. Aloysius Minor Seminary, Trivandrum; Chancellor of Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum; Vice-Chancellor of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Trivandrum; President of the Ordinary Tribunal of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Major Archiepiscopal Church; Member of Canon Law Association of India (CLAI); Rector of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary, Trivandrum; Member cum Coordinator of Core Team of CBCI; Vicar General and Chancellor of Diocese of Gurgaon & Vicar General and Chancellor of Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum.

Statistical data on the Eparchy of Parassala

The Eparchy of Parassala is formed from the division of the southern part of the Archieparchy of Trivandrum, in the south of Kerala, or rather the presbyteral districts of Parassala, Kattakada and a large part of Neyyatinkara. In the territory there are 30,750 Syro-Malankara faithful. There are another 220,000 Christians in the area, of a total population of 952,500 people.

The pastoral care of the Syro-Malankara faithful is entrusted to 22 eparchial Priests in 95 parishes. They are served also by a number of men and women religious, especially Priests of the Order of the Imitation of Christ, Franciscan Brothers, Daughters of Mary, Sisters of Imitation of Christ, and Sacred Heart Sisters. The Syro-Malankara Church manages more than fifty educational institutions, including a college and ten high schools.

We wish the New Bishops all God's blessings and assure them and the Syro-Malankara Church of our prayers,

Yours Sincerely in Our Lord,

Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, SFX

Secretary General, CBCI