Fr Rajendran new Thuckalay bishop

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Fr George Rajendran, SDB, 44, was on Friday appointed bishop of Thuckalay diocese of Tamil Nadu and Fr Jacob Murickan, 49, the auxiliary bishop of Pala diocese of the Syro Malabar Church.

The appointments were announced by Major Archbishop Cardinal Mar George Alencherry at Mount St Thomas, headquarters of Syro Malabar Church, in Kochi at 3.30pm.

The announcement was also made in Vatican simultaneously. The formal installation of the new bishops would be held at a later date.

Both the priests were selected for the posts by the Episcopal Synod of the Church which has been in session in Kochi since August 20 from a list approved by Pope Benedict XVI.

Fr Rajendran, hailing from Panthalammoodu parish of Thukalay diocese, was born to Thomas and Omana on April, 14, 1968 and he was ordained as a priest in 2003.

An ITI certificate holder in electronics, he had his higher education in BSc (Geology) and MA-M.Ed from the North Eastern Hill University, Shillong.

He is currently working as principal of St Antony’s Higher Secondary School, Shillong, after his earlier stint as assistant headmaster of Don Bosco School, Guwahati, and Minor Seminary Vice Rector.

Fr Rajendran is the second bishop of Thuckalay and succeeds Mar Alencherry, who was elevated as Major Archbishop of the church a year ago.

Fr Jacob Murickan, the new auxiliary bishop of Pala, was born to Joseph and Achamma in Muttuchira parish of Pala diocese on June 16, 1963, and was ordained as priest in 1993.

Currently, the pastoral coordinator of Pala diocese, he had worked as professor of the Minor Seminary in Pala and also as secretary of the educational agency of the diocese, besides working as a priest in several of the parishes in the diocese.