Bishop Jerome Dhas Varuvel, SDB, was born 21 October 1951 in Paduvoor in the diocese of
Kottar
Kottar is a locality and a bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, in the southernmost part of Peninsular India ; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil grew. It was an ancient trade centre ...
.
He attended Carmel Secondary School in
Nagercoil
Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...
. From 1967 to 1968 he followed the pre-university course at the
Scott Christian College
Scott Christian College is an autonomous, co-educational, arts and science college in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. Run by the Diocese of Kanyakumari of the Church of South India, the college is graded "''A''" under National Assessment and Accreditat ...
, Nagercoil. From 1968 to 1970 he attended the minor seminary at St. Aloysius Seminary in Nagercoil. He studied philosophy at Sacred Heart Seminary in Poonamallee (1970-1973). He also obtained a bachelor's degree in Economics from Arulanandar College, Karumathur, Madurai (1973-1976). In 1976 he decided to join the
Salesians of Don Bosco
The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in the late 19th century by Italian priest Saint John Bosco to help poor children du ...
. After completing the pre-novitiate (1976-1977) and novitiate (1977-1978), he made his religious profession temporary 24 May 1978. On 24 May 1981, he made his perpetual vows. From 1981 to 1986 he studied theology at the Salesians in Rome. He has a bachelor's degree in Economics and in Theology and a
Licentiate in Pedagogy at the
Pontifical Salesian University in Rome.
He was ordained priest by
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
on 2 June 1985. It belongs to the Salesian Province of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
On 22 December 2014, Pope Francis appointed him the first bishop of the newly-erected
diocese of Kuzhithurai
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kuzhithura is a diocese located in Tamil Nadu. It was erected on 22 December 2014 by Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December ...
, which was bifurcated from the
diocese of Kottar. He was consecrated as bishop of the diocese of
Kuzhithurai
Kuzhithurai (also known as Kuzhithura) is a city and a municipality in Kanyakumari District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Vilavancode Taluk.
It is located north of the Nagercoil city and sout ...
on 24 February 2015 at a ceremony presided by Peter Remigius, bishop of the diocese of Kottar. Co-consecrators were the Archbishop of Madurai, Antony Pappusamy, and the Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore, George Antonysamy.
Due to health reasons, Bishop Jerome Dhas Varuvel submitted his resignation to Pope Francis who accepted it on June 6, 2020 and appointed Archbishop Antony Pappusamy of Madurai as Apostolic Administrator of Kuzhithurai with immediate effect.
Resignation of Bishop of Kuzhithurai accepted
/ref>
After priestly ordination he held the following positions:
*1985-1986: Completion of studies at the Pontifical Salesian University (Rome);
*1986-1990: Vice-Rector of the Novitiate in Vellakinar;
*1990-1992: Rector of the Pre-Novitiate in Tirupattur;
*1992-1994: Rector of the Pre-Novitiate in Maiyam;
*1994-1996: Dean of Student Salesian Trichy;
*1996-2001: Pastor-Rector of the Con-Cathedral of Madras-Mylapore;
*1999-2003: Provincial Councillor;
*2001-2002: Director of ''Kalvi Solai'' (Center for education and culture), Tirupattur;
*2002-2003: Director of ''Kalvi Solai'' (Center for education and culture), Ennore;
*2003-2010: Director of Mount Don Bosco in Thalavadi, Erode;
*2010-2014: Director of Novices at Yeallagiri Hills, Diocese of Vellore;
*22 December 2014: Appointed as the first bishop of the diocese of Kuzhithurai;
*24 February 2015: Consecration to the order of bishop.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varuvel, Jerome Dhas
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in India
1951 births
Living people
Salesian Pontifical University alumni
Salesian bishops