Cochin 6 August 2015: Fr. Antony Prince Panengadan is appointed the second Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy of Adilabad in the State of Thelungana. The announcement of this appointment by the Holy Father Pope Francis was made today, on Thursday 6 August 2015 in the Vatican at 12.00 noon and simultaneously at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad and at the Bishop’s House, Adilabad, at 3.30 p.m. IST.
Major Archbishop George Cardinal Alencherry made this announcement at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Mount St. Thomas, Kakkanad, and Bishop Joseph Kunnath, at the Bishop’s House, Adilabad. Bishop Joseph Kunnath presented the newly appointed Bishop with the Sash, Pectoral Cross and Ring, after the announcement at the Bishop’s House, Adilabad.
The Newly appointed Bishop was born on 13 May 1976 in St. Antony’s Parish, Arimpoor in the Archeparchy of Trichur. Having done his initial seminary formation in the CMI Congregation, he joined the mission eparchy of Adilabad. He had his philosophical and theological formation at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore and Ruhalaya Seminary, Ujjain.
He was ordained priest on 25 April 2007. Having served at the Adilabad Cathedral Church as Assistant Parish Priest and at Saligaon Parish as its Parish Priest, he left for Rome for Higher Studies. He holds Doctorate in Biblical Theology from the Urbanian University, Rome. Besides Malayalam, he is fluent in English Italian, German, Greek, Syriac, Latin and Telugu. At the time of his appointment, he was serving the eparchy as its Proto-Syncellus and the Cathedral Vicar.