Appointment of Bishop of Khandwa, India

(May 11, 2009) Pope Benedict has appointed two new bishops in the Central Indian Dioceses of Khandwa and Jhabua. Rev. Father Arockia Sebastian Durairaj, SVD, Provincial Superior of the Central Indian Province, SVD is appointed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Khandwa (India). Father Arockia Sebastian Durairaj, was born on May 3 1957, at Thirunagar, in the Diocese of Madurai, in Tamilnadu. After his early school in the hometown and the upper to Madurai, he entered the minor seminary in 1971 at St. Charles Seminary in Tiruchirapalli. He entered the Novitiate at Khurda, in the Diocese of Indore, in 1978. He made his perpetual profession in the Society of the Divine Word June 12 1984 and was ordained priest on 8 May 1985. Fr Durairaj has done his studies in Counselling in America and has completed his doctorate in Educational Psychology in Chicago, United States. He was the Rector of the SVD Philosophate in Bhopal and since 2005 he has been the Provincial Superior of the Central Indian SVD Province. The Diocese of Khandwa covers an area of 24,000 square kilometres, with 31,432 Catholics, 32 parishes, 25 priests, 15 seminarians and 250 religious. The Diocese of Khandwa, became vacant with the promotion of SE Archbishop Leo Cornelio, SVD, to the Metropolitan See of Bhopal.
Rev. Father. Devprasad John Ganawa, SVD, Rector of the Centre of Divine Word in Udaipur is appointed as the Bishop of Jhabua (India). Father Devprasad John Ganawa, was born on 8 December 1951 to Panchkui, Diocese of Jhabua. He received the priestly formation at St. Thomas SVD Seminary in Poona and the Pontifical Athaeneum of Poona. He made the first religious profession in the Society of the Divine Word on 8 June 1974 and the perpetual June 7 1981. He was ordained priest on 27 October 1982. Father Ganawa has been the rector of the Minor Seminary at Mhow, Rector of the SVD Juniorate at Palda, Director of Maitre Sadan Dialogue Centre, Udaipur; and since 2008: Rector of the Centre of Divine Word at Udaipur. The Diocese of Jhabua covers an area of 21,366 square kilometres, with 33,576 Catholics, 29 parishes, 54 priests, 31 seminarians and 210 religious. The Diocese of Jhabua, became vacant on 24 October 2008, with the transfer of its first Bishop, SE Bishop Thottumarichal Chacko, SVD, to the Diocese of Indore.