BISHOP: His Excellency Most Rev. Dr Joseph Mar Thomas
Heavenly Patron : St. Thomas, the Apostle
Catholic Bishop’s House,
Sulthan Bathery 673 592, Wayanad Dt
Tel: 04936 220207, 221287 (Fax)
SHORT HISTORY
The Malankara Catholic Eparchy of Bathery is the fruit of the missionary zeal and desire for the unity of the Church expressed by the committed laity, priests and prelates of the Syro-Malankara Church. In 1958, the Holy See extended the jurisdiction of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla further towards the North of Kerala and some districts of Karnataka and Tamilnadu. After the extension His Excellency late Zacharias Mar Athanasios sent priests to the new regions. These pioneers of Malabar mission began to work zealously among the Malankara faithful and they gave leadership for the Re-union movement and Evangelization. As a result parishes and mission centers were established in different places. In order to accelerate the re-union movement and evangelization, His Excellency Most Rev. Zacharias Mar Athanasios requested the Holy See to bifurcate the Diocese of Thiruvalla and to erect a new Diocese with Sulthan Bathery as its headquarters. His Holiness Pope John Paul II erected the Eparchy of Bathery on 28 October 1978 and Rev. Dr Cyril Malancheruvil was appointed as the first Bishop of Bathery.
His Excellency Most Rev. Cyril Mar Baselios officially took charge of the Eparchy of Bathery on 2 Ferbruary 1979 and the new diocese was inaugurated during the solemn function held at St Thomas Pro-Cathedral, Sulthan Bathery.
