Mar Jose Pulickal, the auxiliary bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church and the titular bishop of the Lares, was consecrated as the fourth bishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Kanjirappally at a solemn ceremony here on Monday.
The celebration, held at St.Dominic Cathedral here, commenced with a procession at 10.15 a.m. Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, was the chief celebrant of the function. Metropolitan Archbishop Mar Joseph Perumthottam and Bishop Mar Mathew Arackal were the concelebrants.
Fr.Kurian Thamarassery, Chancellor, read out the letter announcing the appointment of the new bishop.
Mar Joseph Powathil, the first Bishop of Kanjirappally, and Kannur Diocese Bishop Varghese Chackalackal offered blessings.
Following the consecration, the newly appointed bishop offered a Thanksgiving mass. Cardinal Mor Baselios Cleemis, the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, inaugurated a meeting organised by the diocese to bid farewell to the outgoing Bishop Mar Mathew Arackal.
Speaking on the occasion, the cardinal hailed the contributions of Bishop Arackal towards the growth of the ecumenical movement and the unity between various churches.
Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Bishop of the Pala Diocese, presided over the function. Bishop Ägidius Zsifkovics, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Eisenstadt in Austria, Primate of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Archbishop of the Knanaya Syrian Archdiocese Kuriakose Mor Severios and various other Church heads were present, besides a host of political leaders including P.J. Joseph, MLA, and Thomas Chazhikadan, MP.
