Monsignor Thomas Francis D'Souza has been ordained as the new Bishop of Vasai Diocese

After being appointed as the bishop of Vasai Diocese on November 9 by Pope Francis, Monsignor Thomas Dsouza has been ordained today in Vasai amid devotees who attended the event in large numbers

Monsignor Thomas Francis D'Souza, who was previously the parish priest of Holy Spirit Church in Nandakhal, has been ordained as the Bishop of Vasai today at St Augustine's High School Ground in Vasai's Stella neighbourhood. 

While the appointment was announced by Pope Francis on November 9, the ordination ceremony held today saw devotees attend in large numbers. The 'Solemn Episcopal Ordination and Installation of Msgr. Thomas Francis D'Souza as the Bishop of Vasai' saw Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and principal consecrator, give D'Souza his blessings. The ceremony also saw Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, archbishop of Goa and Daman, and Archbishop Felix Machado, Bishop -Emeritus, Diocese of Vasai, and former bishop, whose retirement, led to the appointment of D'Souza, in attendance as co-consecrators. 

D'Souza was born into a farming family in Chulna village in Vasai, on March 23, 1970. He has deep roots in the local community and was also a student of St Augustine's High School. The Vasaikar began his journey to the priesthood with his ordination in April 1998 at St. Pius College in Goregaon.

The Diocese of Vasai was formed and erected in 1998 by Pope John Paul II. Since then, Bishop Thomas Dabre held the position of the bishop from 1998 to 2009, and Archbishop Felix Machado held it from 2009 to June 2024. The patron saint of the diocese is Saint Gonsalo Garcia, who also hailed from Vasai.

(With inputs from PTI)

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