Balasore: His Holiness Pope Francis on Wednesday has appointed Monsignor Varghese Thottamkara, C.M., presently the Bishop of Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte in Ethiopia (North-Eastern part of Africa Region), as the Bishop of Balasore Diocese in the state of Odisha.
Bishop Varghese Thottamkara was born on 2nd June, 1959 at Thottuva, Cheranallor, Ernakulam District, to late Souru and Mariam Thottamkara. He belongs to St. Joseph’s Church, Thottuva of the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamally in the state of Kerala. After finishing the Matriculation studies at Koovapady, he joined the minor seminary of the Congregation of the Mission (CM) in Gopalpur in July 1976. He was ordained priest on 6th January 1987 at his home parish, St. Joseph’s Church, Thottuva by Cardinal Antony Padiyara.
In 1987, he served as assistant Pastor at Muniguda in Odisha and from 1988-1990 as assistant pastor and hostel warden at Christnagar (Allada) . In 1990 he was sent to Ethiopia to teach in the minor seminary of the Vincentians of Ethiopia at Ambo. In 1992 he taught in the major seminary at Addis Ababa as a visiting Professor. In 1993 he was transferred to Addis Ababa as the first Rector of St. Paul’s Major Seminary of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte. He also served as the Judicial Vicar of the Vicariates of Southern Ethiopia. He holds a Licentiate in Moral Theology. In 1997, he was appointed Rector of the Vincentian Major Seminary at Addis Ababa.
In 2003, he was elected assistant provincial of the southern Indian province, and in 2004 he was appointed rector and superior of St. Vincent’s Mission House, Aluva in Kochi. The superior general appointed him procurator general of the Congregation of the Mission (CM) and of the Daughters of Charity cum Archivist at the General Curia in 2005. In 2010 he was elected one of the assistant generals of the Congregation of the Mission. He has been given the responsibility of assistant for the missions and delegate to the provinces and international missions of Asia Pacific zone.
On 28th of June 2013 Holy Father nominated Fr.Varghese Thottamkara Coadjutor Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Nekemte in Ethiopia; he was ordained bishop on 13th August 2013 and succeeded as the Vicar Apostolic on 10th November, 2013.