Bishop of Jullundur
New Delhi, 7 June 2025 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr Jose Sebastian Thekkumcherikunnel as the new Bishop of Jalandhar in Punjab. The announcement was made on Saturday, 7 June 2025. Fr Jose, aged 63, is currently serving as the Financial Administrator of the Diocese. Fr Jose was born on Christmas Eve in 1962 in Kalaketty, under the Diocese of Palai. He was ordained a priest on 1 May 1991 for the Diocese of Jalandhar. He began his priestly formation in 1978 at the minor seminary in Trichur. He studied philosophy and theology at St. Charles Inter-Diocesan Seminary, Nagpur, between 1982 and 1991. He later obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome from 2002 to 2004. Fr Jose began his ministry as Assistant Parish Priest at St. Mary’s Church in Fatehgarh Churian, while also teaching at the Minor Seminary in Amritsar. He then served as Parish Priest at St. Joseph’s Church in Khasa and Sacred Heart Church on Majitha Road, Amritsar. He was later appointed Vice Rector of the Minor Seminary, Assistant Director, and later Principal of St. Francis School. From 1996 to 2002, he served as Dean and Parish Priest of St. Francis Church in Amritsar and later at Jandiala Guru. He was also a member of the Diocesan Board of Education, the Presbyteral Council, and the Charismatic Team. After his studies in Rome, he returned to Jalandhar to serve as Vice Chancellor, Defender of the Bond, and Director of Village Catechesis. From 2007 to 2020, he was Chancellor and Judicial Vicar of the Diocese. He also taught at the Holy Trinity Regional Major Seminary in Jalandhar and served as Head of the Theology Department and a member of the seminary’s governing council. From 2020 to 2022, Fr Jose served as Rector and Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Jalandhar Cantonment. Since 2022, he has been the Financial Administrator of the Diocese. He is currently the Parish Priest of St. Joseph’s Church in Phagwara and Director of St. Joseph’s Convent School.