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{{short description|Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic bishop (b. 1956)}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Bishop
| honorific-prefix = [[Mar (title)|Mar]]
| name = John Alappatt<br />{{Script/Mdnh|ܝܘܚܢܢ ܐܠܦܬ}}
| title = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago|Eparch of St. Thomas of Chicago]]
| image = BishopJoy.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| church = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]]
| archdiocese =
| diocese = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago]]
| see =
| appointed = July 3, 2022
| enthroned = October 1, 2022
| retired =
| predecessor = [[Jacob Angadiath]]
| successor =
| other_post = 
| ordination = December 31, 1981
| ordained_by = [[James Pazhayattil]]
| consecration = September 27, 2014
| consecrated_by = [[George Alencherry]], [[Jacob Angadiath]] and Pauly Kannookadan
| rank = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|9|27}}
| birth_place = Parappukara, [[Kerala]], [[India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| previous_post = [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago|Auxiliary Eparch of St. Thomas of Chicago]] (2014-2022) <br>[[Titular Bishop]] of [[Sidi Brahim|Bencenna]] (2014-2022)
| religion =
| motto = Joyfully for your souls
| birth_name = John Alappatt
}}

{{Infobox bishopstyles
| name= Joy Alappatt
| dipstyle=
[[Mar (title)|Mar]]
| offstyle=[[Mar (title)|Mar]]
| relstyle=[[Eparch]]
| image = Joy_alappat_motto.jpeg
| image_size = 200px
}}

Mar '''John "Joy" Alappatt''' (born September 27, 1956) is an [[India]]n-born [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]] of the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]] in the [[United States]]. He serves as the [[Bishops in the Catholic Church|eparch]] of [[St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Chicago|St. Thomas Eparchy of Chicago]] since 2022.

He served as the [[auxiliary bishop]] of the same eparchy from 2014–2022.

==Biography==

=== Early life and ministry ===
John Joy Alappatt was born in Parappukara, [[Kerala]], [[India]]. He studied for the priesthood at St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary in Vadavathoor, and was ordained a priest for the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalakuda]] in India on December 31, 1981, by Bishop James Pazhayattil. Alappatt continued his studies at St. Joseph's Pontifical Institute in [[Aluva]] an at the Adheva University in Wattair.<ref name=cna>{{cite web|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/30143/new-auxiliary-bishop-for-us-syro-malabar-eparchy-named|title=New auxiliary bishop for US Syro-Malabar eparchy named|publisher=[[Catholic News Agency]]|access-date=2014-12-10|last=|first=}}</ref> He was then engaged in pastoral work in Chalkudy, Mala, the cathedral in [[Irinjalakuda]], and as a chaplain in [[Chennai]]. In 1993 he was transferred to the United States where he served as a chaplain at the [[Georgetown University Medical Center]] where he also completed his clinical pastoral education program. Alappatt also served in pastoral assignments in [[New Milford, New Jersey|New Milford]], [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] and [[Garfield, New Jersey|Garfield]], [[New Jersey]] and as the vicar at the [[Mar Thoma Shleeha Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral (Bellwood, Illinois)|Mar Thoma Shleeha Cathedral]] in [[Bellwood, Illinois]].<ref name=cna/>

=== Auxiliary Bishop ===
[[Pope Francis]] named Alappatt as the [[Titular Bishop|titular bishop]] of ''Bencenna'' and the Auxiliary Bishop of the St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Chicago on July 24, 2014.<ref name=gcatholic>{{cite web|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/bishops-1.htm|title=Bishops who are not Ordinaries of Sees|publisher=Giga Catholic|accessdate=2014-12-10|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116225742/http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/data/bishops-1.htm|archivedate=2014-11-16}}</ref> He was ordained a bishop by [[George Alencherry]], the [[Major Archbishop|major archbishop]] of [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly|Ernakulam-Angamaly]], on September 27, 2014. The principal co-consecrators were [[Jacob Angadiath]] of Chicago and [[Pauly Kannookadan]] of Irinjalakuda.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/balappat.html|title=Bishop John "Joy" Alappat|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy|accessdate=2014-12-10|last=|first=}}</ref>

=== Eparch ===
On July 3, 2022, Pope Francis accepted Bishop Jacob Angadiath's resignation, and named Alappatt as successor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Resignations and Appointments |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2022/07/03/220703b.html |access-date=2022-07-04 |website=press.vatican.va}}</ref>

Alappatt was installed at the [[Mar Thoma Sleeha Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral (Bellwood, Illinois)|Mar Thoma Sleeha Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral]] in [[Bellwood, Illinois]] by head of the Syro-Malabar Church [[George Alencherry]], [[Jacob Angadiath]], and [[Stephen Chirappanath]] in the presence of [[Christophe Pierre]], apostolic nuncio to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Episcopal Installation of Bishop Joy Alappatt |url=https://smchicago.org/episcopal-installation-of-bishop-joy-alappatt/ |access-date=2022-10-01 |website=Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral |language=en-US}}</ref>

On July 20, 2024, Mar Joy Alappatt celebrated the Holy Qurbana at the [[10th National Eucharistic Congress (United States)|10th National Eucharistic Congress]] with [[Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia]] Archbishop [[Borys Gudziak]] in front of a crowd of 25,000 people including Papal Delegate Cardinal [[Luis Antonio Tagle]] and Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal [[Christophe Pierre]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thousands discover 'beautiful diversity' around the Eucharist at congress's Eastern liturgies |url=https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/thousands-discover-beautiful-diversity-around-the-eucharist-at-congresss-eastern-liturgies |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=Detroit Catholic |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Illinois}}
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Catholic Church hierarchy]]
* [[Catholic Church in the United States]]
* [[Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States]]
* [[List of Catholic bishops of the United States]]
* [[Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.stthomasdiocese.org/ Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago Official Site]

==Episcopal succession==
{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas of Chicago|Eparch of St. Thomas of Chicago]]
|before= [[Jacob Angadiath]]
|after= Incumbent
|years= 2022-Present}}
{{s-end}}

{{Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Hierarchy|state=expanded}}
{{Catholicism}}
{{Syriac Christianity}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alappat, Joy}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Christian clergy from Thrissur district]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Syro-Malabar bishops]]
[[Category:Indian-American Syro-Malabar Catholic bishops]]
[[Category:21st-century Eastern Catholic bishops]]
[[Category:American people of Malayali descent]]
[[Category:Bishops appointed by Pope Francis]]
[[Category:Eastern Catholic bishops in the United States]]

Joy Alappatt - Revision history

ArtyCraftz at 08:01, 5 June 2025