The Eparchy of Shamshabad is an eparchy of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Telangana, India. It was established by Pope Francis on 10 October 2017, and Raphael Thattil was appointed its first bishop.[6] In a letter to the bishops of India, Francis cited India's decades of experience with "overlapping jurisdictions" of different sui iuris churches. He wrote: "With the growth of spiritual friendship and mutual assistance, any tension or apprehension should be swiftly overcome. May this extension of the pastoral area of the Syro-Malabar Church in no way be perceived as a growth in power and domination, but as a call to deeper communion, which should never be perceived as uniformity."[7]
Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Shamshabad Eparchia Shamshabadensis | |
|---|---|
| Catholic | |
| Location | |
| Country |  India |
| Territory | Covers 23 states and 4 union territories including 2 islands[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Population - Catholics | (as of 2022) 123,735[a] |
| Parishes | 37 parishes, 69 missions[2] |
| Churches | 11 functional, 7 under construction, as of 2017[citation needed][needs update] |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Syro-Malabar Church |
| Rite | East Syriac Rite[3] |
| Established | 10 October 2017 |
| Cathedral | St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Kukatpally |
| Patron saint |
|
| Secular priests | 72 (52 diocesan, 20 religious)[a] |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Major Archbishop | Raphael Thattil |
| Bishop | Antony Prince Panengaden |
| Auxiliary Bishops | |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| shamshabaddiocese | |
The new jurisdiction was inaugurated with Thattil's installation on 7 January 2018.[8] The cathedral is the St. Alphonsa Syro-Malabar Catholic Church at Kukatpally, in Greater Hyderabad.
There are 130,000 Catholics in the Shamshabad diocese with eleven functional churches and seven under construction.[9]
Bishops
edit| Ordinary | Designation | Year of appointment | Last year of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raphael Thattil | Bishop | 2017 | 2024 |
| Antony Prince Panengaden | Bishop | 2024 | present |
| Auxiliary | Designation | Year of appointment | Last year of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Kollamparambil | Auxiliary bishop | 2022 | present |
| Thomas Padiyath | Auxiliary bishop | 2022 | present |
Notes
edit- ^ a b Annuario Pontificio (2023) via Catholic-Hierarchy.org[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Shamshabad (Syro-Malabar Eparchy)". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Syro-Malabar Diocese of Shamshabad". GCatholic. Gabriel Chow. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Alencherry, George (6 December 2013). "Circular – New Liturgical Texts of the Syro-Malabar Church". Syro-Malabar Church. 2185/2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Patron". Eparchy of Shamashabad. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Diocese of Shamshabad". List of Catholic Dioceses in Asia. UCA News. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Provisions for the Syro-Malabar Church, 10.10.2017" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ "Letter of the Holy Father". Holy See Press Office. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ "Kerala church gets back all-India jurisdiction with Shamshabad diocese". The Indian Express. PTI. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
- ^ "New Eparchy of Shamshabad" (Press release). Syro-Malabar Church. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
External links
edit- Official website
- Eparchy of Shamshabad profile (Syro-Malabar) at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
- Syro-Malabar Diocese of Shamshabad profile at GCatholic