Panaji: Former Superior General of the Pilar Society Fr Sebastião Mascarenhas SFX was ordained Bishop of Baroda at the Episcopal Consecration ceremony held at Rosary High School Ground in Vadodara-Gujarat on Saturday.
The Principal Consecrator was Archbishop of Bombay Cardinal Oswald Gracias, while the Co-Consecrators were Archbishop of Goa and Daman Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão and Archbishop of Gandhinagar Thomas Macwan.
Bishop Sebastião’s own brother, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Nuncio for India and Nepal, 22 Bishops, about 330-350 priests, around 400-500 religious sisters and 7,000-8,000 lay faithful were also present for the Episcopal Consecration.
Delegates of the Goa government included PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral, IGP Omvir Singh Bishnoi IPS and Secretary for Revenue and General Administration Sandip Jacques IAS.
Pope Francis had appointed Fr Sebastiäo Mascarenhas, SFX, former Superior General of the Missionaries of St Francis Xavier (Pilar Fathers), as Bishop of Baroda on December 31, 2022.
Bishop Sebastião Mascarenhas SFX, who hails from Camurlim-Salcete, is the fourth bishop of Baroda diocese and is a member of the Society of the Missionaries of St Francis Xavier, popularly known as Pilar Fathers.
Bishop Sebastiäo Mascarenhas, SFX, is now the third bishop from the Society of Pilar. His brother, Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Daltonganj in Jharkhand, and Bishop-Emeritus of Port Blair Alex Dias are the two other bishops from the religious congregation, which was formed in 1887.
Bishop Sebastiäo Mascarenhas began his early Priestly ministry in the Parish and School in Vapi, and at various intervals served in the missions of Nagar Haveli.
After his Licentiate and Doctorate abroad, he joined the Mission Seminary at Pilar as Professor and Animator from 2000-2002 and then Rector and Professor of the Seminary 2002- 2009.
From 2009-2012, he was Provincial Superior of Mumbai Province, Society of Pilar and from 2013-2017, was Superior of the Mission of Daman. In 2017, he was elected Superior General of the Society.
After laying down office in 2022, he was appointed to the mission of Khempur (Ahmedabad) in December. In that very month, Pope Francis appointed him as the Bishop of Baroda Diocese.
Credits: The Goan Network