Mar John Panamthottathil (born 31 May 1966) is an Indian-born bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in the Australia and Oceania. He is currently the eparch of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne.[1]

Mar

John Panamthottathil
Eparch of St. Thomas of Melbourne
ChurchCatholic Church
DioceseSyro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Melbourne
Appointed14 January 2023
PredecessorBosco Puthur
Orders
Ordination26 December 1997
by George Valiamattam
Consecration31 May 2023
by George Alencherry, Mark Coleridge, Remigius Inchananiyil, and Bosco Puthur
Personal details
Born (1966-05-31) 31 May 1966 (age 58)
Peravoor, Kannur, Kerala, India
Coat of armsJohn Panamthottathil's coat of arms

Biography

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Early life and ministry in India

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John Panamthottathil was born in Peravoor, Kerala. John entered the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Syro Malabar Institute of Pontifical Right in Kozhikode 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 at St. Joseph's College, Mannanam. He also was a parochial priest, educator, and provincial superior in Thamarassery.[1] He speaks Malayalam, English, and Hindi[2]

Ministry in Australia

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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, 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 Congregations, he also served the Syro Malabar community in Australia.[3]

Return to Ministry in India

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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.[4][2]

Eparch

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On 14 January 2023, Major Archbishop George Alencherry announced the appointment of John Panamthottahil as the 2nd Eparch of Melbourne after Pope Francis accepted Bishop Bosco Puthur'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.[5]

On 31 May 2023, He was installed by Alencherry in the presence of Archbishop of Brisbane Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Tellichery Joseph Pamplany, and Bishop-Emertius Bosco Puthur at Our Lady Guardian of Plants Chaldean Catholic Church in Campbellfield, Victoria.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bureau, The Hindu (14 January 2023). "John Panamthottathil named bishop of Melbourne Diocese". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 January 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "മെൽബൺ രൂപതയുടെ പുതിയ ബിഷപ്പായി ഫാ.ജോൺ പനന്തോട്ടത്തിലിനെ നിയമിച്ചു". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  5. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (14 January 2023). "Syro-Malabar bishops' meet ends; Synod says discussions on Mass will continue". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 January 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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