Kkasthana at 06:44, 18 February 2026

2026-02-18T06:44:50Z

New page

{{Short description|Eastern Catholic eparchy in Kerala, India}}
{{moresources|date=February 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
The '''Eparchy of Palghat''' is a [[diocese]] of the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]], centred on the city of [[Palakkad]] in the state of [[Kerala]], in South India. It is a [[suffragan]] bishopric of the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur|Archdiocese of Trichur]]. The current bishop is [[Peter Kochupurackal]], who was appointed in 2022.
{{Infobox diocese

| jurisdiction = Eparchy
| name = Palghat
| local =
| image =Palghat_diocese.png
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption =

| country = [[India]]
| territory =
| province = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur]]
| metropolitan = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur|Syro-Malabar Archbishop of Thrissur]]
| archdeaconries =
| deaneries =
| subdivisions =
| coordinates =
| parishes =
| churches = 
| congregations = 
| schools = 
| members = 

| denomination = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic]]
| rite = [[East Syriac Rite]]
| established =
| cathedral =
| cocathedral =
| patron = 
| patron_title = 
| priests =

| pope = {{Incumbent pope}} 
| patriarch =
| major_archbishop = Mar [[Raphael Thattil]]
| metro_archbishop = [[Mar Andrews Thazhath]]
| bishop_title =
| bishop = Mar Peter Kochupurackal
| coadjutor =
| suffragans = 
| auxiliary_bishops = 
| apostolic_admin =
| vicar_general =
| episcopal_vicar =
| archdeacons = 
| emeritus_bishops = Mar Jacob Manathodath

| map =
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
|headquarters=}}

==History of Diocese of Palghat (Palakkad)==

[[File:Mar Jacob Manathodath and Mathai Payyappilly Palakkappilly.jpg|thumb|left|Mar Jacob Manathodath, bishop of Palakkad diocese, releasing the biography of Venerable [[Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly|Payyappilly Mar Varghese Kathanar]] during his 82nd death anniversary by handing over a copy of it to his great-nephew Mathai Payyappilly Palakkappilly]]
The Eparchy of Palghat was erected on 20 June 1974, through the Decree "Apostolico Requirente" by [[Pope Paul VI]], bifurcating the eparchy of Trichur and adding into the territory of the new eparchy a few parishes of the eparchy of Tellichery, which were in the district of Palakkad. It was a suffragan of the [[Archdiocese of Ernakulam]]. The eparchy was inaugurated on 8 September 1974. The episcopal ordination of Msgr. Joseph Irimpen and his assumption of office as the first bishop of the eparchy took place on the same day. It is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Trichur. The eparchy covers an area of 4,482 km<sup>2</sup>. At the time of the inauguration of the Eparchy it had a total of 16 parishes and 8 stations. The number of diocesan priests was 14 and that of the adherents was 20,810. It has now 69,057 adherents, 127 priests incarnated to it and 99 parishes and 45 stations. Bishop Irimpen retired from his office on 6 December 1994 and died on 23 August 1997. Msgr. Joseph Veliyathil served the Eparchy as its Administrator from 6 December 1994 to 1 February 1997. Pope John Paul II nominated Bishop Jacob Manathodath, then the Auxiliary Bishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly as the Bishop of Palghat on 11 November 1996. Bishop Manathodath took canonical possession of the eparchy on 1 February 1997.

The diocese of Palghat was bifurcated and a new diocese, named Ramanathapuram, was erected on 18 January 2010.

==Statistics of the Diocese of Palghat ({{as of|2010|4}})==
Diocese of Palghat - Geographical Area, 4,480 km<sup>2</sup> (Palakkad Dt)
* Catholic Families: 12,521
* Catholics: 56,668
* Priests:
** Diocesan 121
** Working 8
* [[Religious (Catholicism)|Religious]] Men 59
* Religious Women 1,051
* Diocesan Seminarians :
** Theologians 15
** Regents 11
** Philosophers 25
** Minor Seminarians 34
* Foranes 8
* Parishes 74
* Stations 43

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.palghatdiocese.org/ Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat]
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dplsm.html Catholic-Hierarchy entry]

{{Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Hierarchy}}
{{Christianity in Kerala}}

{{coord missing|Kerala}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palghat}}
[[Category:Eastern Catholic dioceses in India]]
[[Category:Archdiocese of Thrissur]]
[[Category:Syro-Malabar Catholic dioceses]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1974]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:1974 establishments in Kerala]]

Eparchy of Palghat - Revision history

Kkasthana at 06:44, 18 February 2026