MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS Patroness of our Diocese DIRECTORY 2020 DIOCESE OF MANDYA Bishop’s House, Kalenahalli P.O. Mandya District, Karnataka State, India-571 402 Tel: 08232 291050, +917090175555 Email: [email protected] www.mandyadiocese.org https: //www.facebook.com/Mandya Diocese Prepared and Published by Fr. Jomon Kolenchery CMI Chancellor, Diocese of Mandya Bishop’s House, Kalenahalli P.O., Mandya District, Karnataka Email: [email protected] Design & Print @ Don Bosco IGACT, EKM. Ph : 0484-2806411 2 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 3 His Beatitude MAR GEORGE CARDINAL ALENCHERRY Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church His Grace His Grace ARCHBISHOP ARCHBISHOP GEORGE NJARALAKKATT ANTONY KARIYIL First Bishop of Mandya Second Bishop of Mandya 4 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 His Excellency SEBASTIAN ADAYANTHRATH Present Bishop of Mandya Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 5 CONTENTS 1. Forward by Bishop 08 2. From Chancellor’s Desk 10 3. A Brief History of Syro Malabar Church 12 4. History of the Diocese of Mandya 15 5. The Roman Pontiff 20 6. Major Archbishop 21 7. Previous Bishops 23 8. Bishop’s Profile 27 9. Diocesan Curia 29 10. Diocese at a glance 30 11. Eparchial Consultors 32 12. Priests Conference 33 13. Marriage Tribunal 40 14. Finance Council 41 15. Diocesan Committee for Construction 42 16. Pastoral Council 43 17. Social Service Trust 51 18. Legal Advisor 51 19. Education Trusts 52 20. Minor Seminary 52 21. Regional Pastoral Centre 52 22. Diocesan Commissions 53 23. Public Relations Office 56 24. Diocesan Media & Communication Department 56 25. Pious Associations 56 6 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 26. Foranes & Zones 57 27. Parishes & Centers 60 28. Religious Societies (Priests) 132 29. Religious Societies (Sisters) 139 30. Formation Houses and Seminaries 148 31. Educational Institutions in the Diocese 150 32. Hospitals 158 33. Dispensaries 159 34. Social Work Centers 160 35. Hostels- Boys 160 36. Hostels-Girls 161 37. Orphanages 163 38. Home for the Aged 164 39. Publications & Book Stalls 165 40. Priests Ascribed to the Diocese 166 41. Deacons 168 42. Seminarians 169 43. National Centers in the Diocese 171 44. Regional Centers in the Diocese 174 45. Dioceses in Karnataka 179 46. Eparchies and Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church 182 47. Diocese of Mandya-Statistics 207 48. Syro Malabar Faithful around the Globe 210 49. Saints, Blesseds, Venerables and Servants of God 212 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 7 FORWARD BY BISHOP With Deep Gratitude and Love We are so glad to publish the first directory for the Diocese of Mandya after the extension to Bengaluru Region. We will not claim that it is complete; however, efforts have been made to collect as much data as possible and include them in the directory. Preparations have been already underway to publish a directory during the tenure of Bishop Antony Kariyil but now only we could bring it into light. We are deeply grateful to God and to you. We request you to be kind enough to notify our Chancellor if any data is missing or if the data is incomplete or badly represented. The next directory could be more complete. Your cooperation in that regard will be highly appreciated. I hope and pray that all the data will be useful to you to identify various entities and their locations in the Diocese. May it become a useful handbook at your table. I am deeply grateful to Father Jomon Kolenchery CMI, our Chancellor, who really worked hard to collect the materials in this directory. My heart goes to thank Mrs. Soji Hareesh and Mrs. Mini Thomas who meticulously did the typing and formatting work. Without their hard work, this would not have been possible. It is a wonderful gift to all of us as we complete 10 years of our existence as a Diocese. May Jesus and His blessed Mother help us to forge ahead to build the kingdom of God. Finally, the purpose of such a directory is not to confine ourselves only to the work of God in ‘our’ group or ‘our’ church. Parishes and communities have so much to offer each other. To undertake such a task, we have to be 8 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 well rooted in our own parish or communities; we have to belong. Otherwise we risk living in some confusion, without roots. May it help you to know our Diocese, our parish, our communities along with our tasks ahead and the challenges we will face together. Bishop Sebastian Adayanthrath Bishop of Mandya Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 9 FROM CHANCELLOR’S DESK PRESENTING A KALEIDOSCOPIC VIEW Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 There is a biblical reference for laying stones as a memorial to the Lord in order to remember the good things He has done for us. This Diocesan Directory takes inspiration from these monuments and their significance. Answered prayers are a gift that must be stewarded and treasured for eternity. By creating memorials we can remember God’s goodness and increase our faith that if He has done it once, He can do it again. “Diocese of Mandya-Directory 2020” is a compendium of information of persons and institutions in the Diocese of Mandya. This work attempts to furnish a comprehensive, accurate view of the Diocese. This directory is a window to our Church culture, growth and a testimony to the ceaseless blessings the Lord has bestowed on our Diocese. From its humble beginnings in 1954, today, the Diocese of Mandya comprises 37 Parishes, 21 Filial Churches and 12 Mission Stations. There are 44 Monasteries and 62 Convents in the Diocese. As many as 300 Priests and 500 Nuns of various congregations are active in the Diocese. A large number of educational, health and social care institutions, including the First Catholic University of the country, and a Pontifical Athenaeum are functional in the Diocese. Information pertaining to these institutions has been compiled and presented in this directory in a very clear and concise manner. 10 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 Looking back I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge some wonderful people who were instrumental in this process. Utmost gratitude to Bishop Mar Sebastian Adayanthrath and Archbishop Mar Antony Kariyil for initiating and inspiring this endeavour. I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Vicars, Priests, Religious, Laity and others who generously helped us by providing precise information and statistics for this work. I thankfully remember our office staff, Ms. Soji Hareesh and Ms. Mini Thomas for their dedicated efforts in the culmination of this directory. This is the first directory to be published following the establishment of the extended Diocese of Mandya in 2015, and we have strived to make it as accurate as possible. Nevertheless, do excuse any errors and send in your review/information which will be amended in the next edition. We hope this directory will be an indispensable ministry tool for everyone to use, helping Clergy and other leaders to stay connected with the faithful, and enabling the Church to reach out to the numerous resources and personnel available to them. It is my earnest desire that this directory will be a reference tool for all in the Diocese and beyond. I pray that this Directory may enable a closer fellowship among the faithful and express the leavening effect in the community. May the grace, love, joy and hope of the Gospel dwell richly among you. Fr. Jomon Kolenchery CMI Chancellor, Diocese of Mandya Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 11 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SYRO-MALABAR CHURCH The Syro-Malabar Church, together with other Churches of St. Thomas tradition in India, traces its origin to St. Thomas, ‘the apostle of India’ who evangelized India in the period between 42 and 72 AD during his missionary journeys in India. After the visit of Pantenus, the Alexandrian scholar in 189, the Indian Christians began maintaining conscious contact with the Church of the East in the Persian Empire and getting Bishops sent by the Seleucian or Chaldean Patriarch throughout the medieval period. In the seventh century, metropolitan status was granted to the Indian Church which indicated the acceptance of her autonomy. The community of St. Thomas Christians maintained from that time onwards their loyalty to the Persian Church. In the modern period, from 16th to 19th centuries St. Thomas Christians remained under the Portuguese Padroado and Roman Propaganda Fide jurisdictions. During this time the Church witnessed a number of changes in many respects. The oriental nature, Syriac liturgy, Indian customs and practices all underwent changes especially due to the legislations of the Synod of Diamper of 1599. The consequent so called ‘Coonan Cross Oath’ of 1653 against the Portuguese ecclesiastical authorities resulted in the division of the one fold of St. Thomas Christians into different factions in the subsequent centuries. Those who remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church were called ‘the Syro- Malabar’ Church and the rest accepted the Antiochean jurisdiction in the 19th century. A small faction of the Orthodox Syrian Malankara Church became Catholic in 1930 and was called ‘the Syro-Malankara’ Church. 12 Diocese of Mandya - Directory 2020 The real modern period of the Syro-Malabar Church begins from the end of the nineteenth century with the separation of Syrian Catholics from the Latins with the establishment of two vicariates of Trichur and Kottayam as per the apostolic letter Quod Iam Pridem of 20 May 1887 of Pope Leo XIII. This new beginning is strengthened with the appointment of local Bishops in the Syro-Malabar vicariates of Trichur, Changanacherry and Ernakulam in 1896 with the apostolic letter Quae Rei Sacrae.