Bishop of Buxar
James Shekhar was born on September 23, 1967, in Singamparai (Tamil Nadu), in the Diocese of Palayamkottai. He attended the Minor Seminary in Muzaffarpur and subsequently St. Joseph’s Major Seminary in Allahabad. He was ordained a priest on May 26, 1996, and incardinated into the Archdiocese of Patna. He held the following positions and pursued further studies: Parochial Vicar in Mokama (1996–1997); Director of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese and Professor at St. Mary’s Seminary (1998–2003); studies for a Licentiate in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome (2003–2005); studies for a Doctorate in Biblical Theology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria (2005–2009); Secretary to the Archbishop of Patna (2009–2015); and, since 2015, Deputy Secretary of the Episcopal Council of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Andaman.